IL^^^'^ 








Class _S&i|Z 
Book__j2__LJ__ 
Co|pghtN°_j2i/-_ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I. Making a Beginning 

Chapter II. Cultivation. Mulching. Irrigation 

Chapter III. Spray Pumps and P^ormulas 

Chapter IV. The Strawberry 

Chapter V. The Strawberry (Continued) 

Chapter VI. The Strawberry (Concluded) 

Chapter VII. The Raspberry 

Chapter VIII. The Blackberry 

Chapter IX. The Dewberry 

Chapter X. Currants and Gooseberries . 

Chaptfr XL The Grape . 

Chapter XII. Miscellaneous Small Fruits . 

Chapter XIII. Picking and Packing . . . 

Chapter XIV. Marketing 



page 

• 7 

• 19 
27 

35 
47 
59 
71 
81 

87 
91 

97 
107 

113 
125 




PREFACE 




HOLD that it is right to tell what 
we know in any line of farming, if 
our knowledge be of value to 
others and will help them to suc- 
cess. Now, I have been engaged 
more or less in strawberry culture 
for many years, and have in that 
time learned a little, and this little 
I am ready to communicate to my 
neighbors and even to impart to a 
wider circle, wide enough to take in the whole Farm 
Journal family and the entire remnant of the popu- 
lation of the country. 

The only trouble is, 1 do not know it all ; and yet 
it may be best that 1 do not, since I have discovered 
that those folks who know it all are apt to get behind 
the lighthouse and are left in the dark themselves. 

Confessed, I do not know it all ; yet Harriet knows 
some and Tim knows a heap ; together, though, we 
are so far from a uni\ ersal knowing that I have not 
hesitated, in preparing this book for publication, to 
get the opinions and experiences of a number of 
bright, practical men. 

It will be seen, therefore, that some pages of 
my book will contain explicit information from other 
berry growers, — living in all parts of the country, in 
all latitudes and longitudes. In brief, I have tried to 
make the book national in its scope, rather than 

(4) 



PREFACE 5 

local. And I herewith extend my cordial thanks for 
the outside information which has enabled me 
to do so. 

A feature is the showing of the berries in natural 
colors, which, to my knowledge, has never before 
been successfully accomphshed in a book. It cost 
time, money and infinite pains to procure accurate 
paintings of the fruits and to transfer them to the 
pages of this book, many specimens being printed in 
eight separate colors in order to produce the required 
truthfulness of shading. Of course most of the credit 
of success in this line must accrue to the publishers, 
and to them I freely give it. 

Another feature is the many excellent half-tone 
engravings which were made, from photographs, 
expressly for this book. These photographs came 
from all parts of this great country of ours, and show 
actual scenes, appliances, methods, etc. 

Grapes, although perhaps not strictly in the 
classification of small fruits, are given a chapter 
(or may I call it an arbor ?) all by themselves ; for, 
surely, a fruit garden without grape-vines would 
be like a pudding minus sauce. 

My earnest wish is that this little book may lead 
its readers far into that place of delight — the finished 
fruit-garden. 

JACOB BIGGLE. 

Elmwood, 
191 1. 



ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR 



STRAWBERRIES 

A Box of Gandys, Plate I. • 

Aroma " V. 

Bederwood ... " VI. 

Brandy wine . . " III. 

Bubach .... " VII. 

Climax " VI. • 

Clyde " IV. 

Crescent .... " III. 

Enormous . . . " IV. 

Excelsior .... " VII. 

Gandy " II. , 

Lady Thompson " IV. 

Lovett " VI: 

Marshall .... " V. 

Michel's Early . " III. 

Nick Ohmer . . " II. 

President ... " VIII. 

Rough Rider . . " VIII. 

Sample " II. 

William Belt . . " V. 



RASPBERRIES 


Conrath . . . 


. Plate X. 


Cumberland . 


. " XI. 


Cuthbert . . . 


. " IX. 


Gregg .... 


. " X. 


Kansas . . . 


. " X. 


Loudon . . . 


" IX. 


Miller .... 


. " IX.' 


Ohio .... 


. " XI. 


CURRANTS 


Black Naples . 


. Plate XI. 


Cherry .... 


. " XIII 


Fay 


. " XII. 


Red Dutch . . 


. " XII. 


Victoria . . . 


. " XIV 


White Grape . 


•' XIII 


GOOSEBF 


RRIES 


Chautauqua . 


. Plate XV. 


Columbus . . 


. " XV. 


Downing . . . 


. " XV. 


Houghton . . 


. ' XV. 


Pearl 


. " XV. 



Chapter I 



MAKING A BEGINNING 



The way to begin is to begin 

Among the enthusiastic growers, whose opinions 
about berry culture I have asked, is J. H. Hale, of 
the state of Connecticut, and the United States of 
America, for he belongs to the latter ; and here is 
one of the things he wrote : "No man should fool 
himself into telling his wife that he hasn't time 
to bother with such small trash as berries, but will 
buy all the family wants ; he may not be much of a 
liar, but those of us who have so often heard that 
old chestnut about * buying all the berries the family 
wants,' know that man is 'way off.' He never 
did and never will buy one-tenth part as many 
berries as the family will consume, if he will give 
them all they can wallow in right fresh from the 
home garden." Mr. Hale is right ; few in the 
country will buy enough berries. 

The only just and true way for an honorable and 
manly man is to grow them, and let everybody about 
the place have all he can eat. Then there'll be 
less lard, tough beef, or dried-apple pies to be 
manipulated and cooked in midsummer over red- 
hot ranges. For the berry comes from the garden to 
the table in tempting and presentable shape, fit to 
grace the table of a king, 
(7) 



8 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



A friend asks; "How many berries will the 
average farmer buy ? Will it be one quart a week ? " 
A housewife was promised by her well-to-do hus- 
band, that instead of growing berries he would 
purchase all she wanted. At the end of the season 
she said : " How many berries do you suppose we 
bought ? Not a single quart ! ' ' 

That forcible question and answer are altogether 
too common. Farmers who with very little expense 
can grow these most healthful and delicious fruits, 
deny to themselves and their families the greatest 
table luxury which Providence has bestowed upon 
people of temperate climates, when a single square 
rod of ground might yield them more intrinsic value 
than an acre m many other products. 

Berry growing is to many people a great mystery, 
as the writer has had impressed upon him by 
numberless inquiries, both verbal and written. 
There is no fruit crop so immediately productive, 

none which attaches to 
itself so much enthusi- 
asm and quick reward 
for labor expended. 
Berries flourish in near- 
ly all soils and in all 
temperate climates. The 
number of varieties is 
now unhmited, and suit- 
ed to all tastes. 

One large farmer in 
the country consigns to 

ROLLINTt CRTTSHES lumps and packs , . .11 1 

DOWN THE son his own tablc a peck a 




MAKING A BEGINNING 9 

day ; others provide a quart for each person, and 
dispense almost wholly with meat so long as berries 
can be had in good condition. A very intelligent 
young lady living opposite my farm, who has traveled 
the world over, enjoys life just as long as the supply 
of berries continues; but at other seasons she is more 
or less of an invalid. And yet there are too many 
who regard berries as mere luxuries, and refer you 
to pork and potatoes for nourishment and substantial 
sustenance for body and mind. 

A. I. Root says : " Everybody ought to have all 
the berries he wants. If he does not care to grow 
them, he ought to be in some business so that he can 
atford to buy them, quart after quart, morning, noon 
and night. Not only because they give enjoyment, 
but because they are the cheapest, best and most 
natural medicine to tone up the system that has ever 
been invented. They are both victuals and drink. 
The man who can not afford to give up his beer, tea 
and coffee, yes, and tobacco, too, when berries are 
plentiful and cheap, is a man to be pitied." 

Then — outside of the farming class — there are 
thousands of town dwellers and suburbanites who 
might grow berries, if they would, on their little plots 
of ground in the back yard. Why not ? This book 
is for them as well as for the farmer and the 
professional grower ; and any one can learn who will 
study its teachings. 

It is difficult to give accurate directions as to the 
selection of a location for fruits or to describe a soil 
that will bring the best results. There are a few 
general principles, however, says Gabriel Hiester, of 



lO 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



Pennsylvania, that have become firmly established 
by the experience of the most careful horticulturists 
extending back through the past century. There 
are several points to be considered in selecting a 
location, which apply to all fruits, and they may be 
briefly stated, as follows : 

Soil. — All fruits do best on a deep soil on an 
open subsoil that will allow perfect drainage. Let 
me then impress upon the mind of the reader that 
the first requisite for the profitable production of fruit 
of any kind is an open subsoil that will allow perfect 

drainage ; second a deep 
top-soil of a character 
suited to the kind of 
fruit grown. (The char- 
acter of soil best suited 
to each kind of fruit will 
be treated later on in 
this book.) 

Exposure. — Opin- 
ions differ somewhat on 
this point, buta majority 
seem to favora northern 
exposure, as the idea pre\ ails that the buds are 
there retarded somewhat, and are less liable to be 
injured by late frosts. Also, that a southern expo- 
sure is least desirable, except when extra-early 
fruit is wanted. 

Altitude — This is more important than 
exposure. Fruit should be planted above the level 
of the ' ' lake ' ' of cold air that settles in the valleys 
at night ; the warmer rsnd more sheltered the valley 




FOLLOW THE DISC HARROW WITH 
A SMOOTHING HARROW 



MAKING A BEGINNING II 

the more important is this point, as these places are 
most subject to late frosts. No fixed height can be 
given at which it will be safe to plant ; it will depend 
upon the width of the valley and the abruptness of 
the slope at either side. Each planter must decide 
for himself what will be a safe altitude for protection 
against untimely spring frosts. 

Conditions differ, however, along the shores 
of lakes and broad rivers ; here the water tempers 
the air and pre\ ents injury by late frosts. For 
instance, the influence of Lake Erie extends two or 
three miles inland; and along the Susquehanna, fruit 
which grows close to the bank frequently escapes 
injury, while a mile back in the country the entire 
crop is destroyed by frost. Good fruit can be grown 
on these bcittom lands which border on rivers and 
lakes, provided they are well drained either naturally 
or artiticially. 

Rainfall. — The distribution of rainfall through- 
out the entire season is important. Fruit requires a 
large amount of moisture during the growing season, 
and unless this is supplied by rains, you will have to 
practise irrigation. (See Chapter II.) 

Artificial Drainage. — If the ground is not 
naturally well drained, it will pay to install a system 
of underground tile drains. This, however, is too 
intricate a subject to be thoroughly treated in the 
space at my disposal ; therefore, I would suggest that 
you write to the Secretary, U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and ask for a copy 
of Farmers' Bulletin No. 187, entitled " Drainage of 
Land. ' And remember this: "Tile drains help 




THKSB NICB BEK 



MAKING A BEGINNING 1 3 

to make wet soils drier, and dry soils more moist." 
Harriet says that this sounds like a paradox, but I 
can earnestly assert that experience has proved 
it to be a fact. 

Shipping or Marketing Facilities. — After 
fruit is grown, it must, in many instances, be 
marketed. Therefore, the prospective grower needs 
to take into consideration, when selecting land, the 
distance from the railway station or steamer wharf, 
or the hauling distance to stores or customers. 
Good roads, or competing lines of railways (which 
usually mean cheaper freights), are both important 
factors to consider. (For additional marketing 
suggestions, consult Chapter XIV.) 

Preliminary Preparation. — Nearly all grow- 
ers wisely recommend preparing the ground a year 
or two before the berries are to be planted, by 
planting other crops which must be cultivated, and 
thus getting the soil mellow and the weed seeds 
sprouted and out of the way. A one-year (f/6'7/(?r sod, 
well manured and planted to potatoes and well tilled 
one year, makes one of the best preparations for 
berries ; but any other plan that will make the soil 
reasonably rich and in good tilth and free from weed 
seeds, will answer. 

Never plant small fruits on land which has been 
in q\^ grass sod, until it has been cultivated two or 
three seasons. Why ? Because such land is apt to 
be full of destructive "white grubs," which are 
mostly eradicated by cultivation. 

Fertility and Manuring. — This is an intricate 
subject, and I lack space to treat it thoroughly here. 



H 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



For full details on this topic I suggest that you read 
Chapter IV of the Biggie Garden Book (pubhshed 
uniform with this volume), and write to the Secretary, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 
and ask for Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 44, 192, 245, 
257 and 278. In this way you will learn all about 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, nitrate of soda. 




IF MANURK IS APPLIED IN FURROWS, BE SURE IT 
MIXED WITH SOIL BEFORE PLANTING 

lime, humus, cover crops, nitrogenous crops, 
liquid manure, etc. 

Generally speaking, I will say that there is no 
better all-purpose fertilizer than stable manure. 
Haul it on the ground in winter and early spring, 
and spread it as it is hauled ; plow it under, and then 
broadcast (to each acre) about 400 pounds of kainit 
(a commercial form of potash), and about 600 
pounds of finely-ground bone meal ; harrow this in, 



MAKING A BEGINNING 1 5 

and you have a very good, complete mixture which 
contains all essential elements of plant food. Or, if 
you desire, you can substitute muriate or sulphate of 
potash for the kainit, or twenty five bushels of 
unleached hardwood ashes ; or phosphates or super- 
phosphates may be substituted for the bone. If 
stable manure can not be obtained, and if there is 
sufficient humus (decayed vegetable matter) in the 
soil, buy a high-grade, complete, ready-mixed, 
commercial fertilizer the best you can get, not the 
cheapest — and broadcast it on plowed land at the 
rate of about 800 pounds to the acre ; then 
harrow it in. 

Planning and Laying-Out. — Measure the land 
accurately. Then figure out a definite planting 
plan, on paper, indicating exactly where everything 
is to go, and the distance between rows. P^or con- 
venience draw the plan to scale — say one-sixteenth 
inch to the foot— and endeavor to have long rows 
rather than short ones. Therefore, run the rows the 
long way of the garden or field ; whether the rows 
run north and south or east and west is not so 
important, although north and south rows are 
slightly better if they can be conveniently had. Plan 
to have level, straight rows, rather than elevated 
little "beds" divided by useless paths. Generally 
speaking, let the spaces between rows be the paths, 
and keep the entire field as level as possible. (The 
correct distances apart for rows and plants are given 
in the chapters on The Strawberry, The Raspberry, 
etc.) 



i6 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 




HOW DEEP TO PLOW .'' AS DEEP AS YOU 

CAN WITHOUT BRINGING UP MUCH 

SUBSOIL 



Plowing. — Never work soil when it is very wet. 
and sticky ; wait until it dries into crumbly, workable 
condition. Early spring is the usual time to plow, 
although fall-plowing often has advantages when the 
ground is soddy or 
badly infested with 
wireworms, cut- 
worms, grul)s, etc. 
How deep to plow ? 
As deep as you 
can without bring- 
ing up much of the 
subsoil. 

Harrowing. — Follow the plow with the harrow 
as soon as possible in the spring. Do a thorough 
job — lengthwise, crosswise and diagonally, until the 
ground is as mellow as an ash heap. The spike- 
tooth, spring-tooth, disc and Acme harrows are all 
good,— the latter being especially valuable as a 
smoothing harrow. 

Rolling or Floating. — After harrowing, it is 
often advisable to roll or ' ' float ' ' (smooth) the 
ground with some kind of a roller or plank-drag. 
This operation crushes lumps and packs down the 
soil, but should be followed by a smoothing harrow 
that will loosen the surface. Then the field should 
be in excellent condition for marking and planting. 

Marking the Ground. — Many growers plant 
with a line stretched across the patch and moved into 
place for the next row ; this insures absolutely 
straight rows, for which I have a great liking, but is 
not well adapted to very large fields. On large 



MAKING A BEGINNING 



17 



areas, it is very con\enient and time-saving to mark 
out the entire field in advance of planting. For 
this purpose there are several styles of home-made 
markers, one pulled by horse power, and another 
kind drawn backward by hand. By making a few 
changes, these markers are easily adjusted to any 
width of row desired. 

If deep markings are wanted — that is, if a man 
wants furrows instead of mere guide marks -a one- 
horse plow, or a 




cultivator rigged as 
a furrower, can be 
used by following 
the shallow marks 
previously made 
by a marker. 

(Note : In the 
A u M.-MAL.i. rrKK-wHR Biggie Garden 

Book several kinds of home-made markers, drags 
and floats are illustrated.) 

Propagation, Planting and Varieties. — In 
the chapters on The Strawberry, The Raspberry, 
etc., special directions are given covering these 
subjects. 

Tools and Implements.— Those really needed 
are few and not expensive, and they are mentioned 
in their appropriate places in this book. Harriet 
hints that the most important things are thoraughtiess 
and persistence, but I should want to add a good hoe 
and cultivator to her list — and a few other 
implements. 

How many and what kind of tools a fruit grower 



I 8 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

will need depends, of course, on the size of his 
garden. On the very small place the spade or 
digging fork often takes the place of the plow, the 
rake doubtless performs the duty of a harrow, elbow 
grease may be substituted for horse power, and hand 
hoes, hand cultivators, sprayers, etc., are often 



...... ^..JL^~-ji.)d^ 


% •ipte 






-,.., ,^;f«l^^-:?--:=v^^ 


^^Hi 



A MACHINE MANURE-SPREADER IS A GREAT HELP 
ON LARGE AREAS 

substituted for horse-drawn machinery. Fertilizers 
are applied to square rods or square feet instead of 
to acres, and manure is perhaps hauled in wheel- 
barrows and spread by hand instead of in a machine 
manure-spreader. And the results are as good — 
sometimes better— than those achieved by the com- 
mercial grower with a large acreage. 



PLATE II 




GAXDV 




NICK OHMER 



SAMPLE 



Chapter II 
CULTIVATION, MULCHING, IRRIGATION 



As for weeds, nip them in the bud — Tim. 

Not only does it take brain work to grow berries 
successfully, but it requires muscular work as well. 
But in this, as in most operations of the farm, the 
brains can save the hands much drudgery. 

Any one who does not possess a well-organized 
brain had better not undertake berry culture, for he 
will have so much to do with his hands in order to 
obtain a compensatory crop, that his efforts will most 
likely result in failure. He 
will soon become disgusted 
and declare that it ' ' does 
not pay ' ' to grow berries. 
It is not much bother or 
work, however, to the one 
who has a good share of 
gumption, a little spunk, 
who was not born tired, and 
who has a genuine love for 
the fruit after it is grown. 
Cultivation. — This is 
a very important part of 
the fruit growers' work, 
and accomplishes the fol- 
lowing results : 

19 




CARRY A FILE AND KEEP YOUR 
HOE SHARP 



20 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



1 . The setting free of plant food by increasing 
the chemical activities in the soil. 

2. The soil is made finer, and hence presents 
greater surfaces to the roots, thus increasing the area 
from which the roots can absorb nutriment. 

3. The surface of the soil is kept in such 
condition that it immediately absorbs all the rain 




A THOROUGH JOB OF CULTIVATING CAN T BE DONE BY 
GOING BETWEEN ROWS ONLY ONCE. GO TWICE 



that falls during the summer, when it is apt to be 
dry. Little is lost by surface drainage. 

4. Moisture is conserved thereby. Where the 
surface remains undisturbed for weeks the soil becomes 
packed, so that the moisture from below readily 
passes to the surface and is evaporated, thus being 
lost to the growing crop. If the surface is kept 
light and loose by tillage, so that the capillarity is 




A BOX OF GANDYS 
(with Harriet's compliments) 



CULTIVATION, MULCHING, IRRIGATION 21 

broken, but little of the soil moisture comes to the 
surface and evaporation is not so great. In this 
way nearly all the moisture remains in the soil, 
where it can be used by the roots. 

5. Thorough tillage has a tendency to cause 
deeper rooting of the roots. The surface of the soil 
is made drier by tillage during the early part of the 
season than it would otherwise be ; hence the roots 
go w^here the soil is moist. The advantage of deep 
rooting during drought is obvious. 

6. Last but not least, weeds and grass are 
kept out. 

There are a number of excellent horse-cultivators 
on the market. The Planet Jr. twelve-tooth cul- 
tivator and pulverizer is an excellent tool, — 
especially in the strawberry patch. The teeth are 
adjustable and those nearest the row may be turned 
backward, enabling the user to "run shallow " and 
avoid tearing the 
roots of the plants. 
The Iron Age thir- 
teen-tooth cultivator 
is also very good for 
such work. 

For rough work 
in very weedy 
ground, an iron a horse grape-hoe is excellent for 
frame, five-tooth cul- ^lose work in a vineyard 

tivator is useful. This implement has several attach- 
ments — side shovels, side sweeps, rear hoes, etc.— 
which are often helpful for special needs ; the flat, 
wide, surface-skimming sweep attachments, I find, 




BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



are particularly good for killing such weeds as thistles, 
which are apt to dodge and escape the ordinary nar- 
row cultivator-tooth. 

All the cultivators mentioned in the foregoing 
are adjustable to depth and width, and one horse 
can pull them easily. 

One of the best cultivators 1 ever had was made 
with five spring-teeth ; and doubtless there are 
other good kinds on the market that 1 have 
not mentioned. 

Mulching. — There are two kinds of mulch — the 
dust mulch caused by regular surface cultivation, 

and the mulch which is 
applied in the form of 
straw, leaves, stable 
manure, or similar 
materials. For nearly 
all purposes I prefer 
and use the dust mulch. 
The main object of 
mulching during the 
growing season is to 
prevent the evapora- 
tion of moisture in the 
soil, and shallow culti- 
vation does that effec- 
tively ; and does not, like other forms of mulch, 
furnish breeding places for insects and fungi. 

In special instances, however, a mulch of litter is a 
good thing. For example : Straw, etc., will keep 
strawberries clean in a fruiting bed ; currant bushes 
root so near the surface that ordinary cultivation often 




THIS MAN IS APPLYING MULCH SO AS 
TO HAVE CLEAN STRAWBERRIES 



CULTIVATION, MULCHING, IRRIGATION 23 

injures the roots, and therefore a hght working- of 
the soil in spring, followed by a heavy mulch of 
stable manure, is an excellent plan to follow ; in the 
fall a mulch of strawy manure protects and fertilizes 
the roots of vines, plants and bushes during cold 
weather, and prevents the alternate freezing and 
thawing which causes plants to heave out of the 
ground more or less. 

In later chapters 1 shall have something more to 
say about mulching. 

Irrigation. — Berries are such thirsty plants 
when loaded with fruit, that ample provision should 
be made to give them all they can use of water. In 
ordinary seasons on most soils this can be done by 
thorough cultivation or mulching, thus retaining the 
moisture provided by spring thaws and rains 
throughout the fruiting season ; but in dry weather 
the crop is often shortened through lack of water 
unless irrigation is resorted to. Unfortunately, how- 
ever, irrigation is not practicable on the average fruit 
garden. But when berries can be planted within 
reach of a stream or pond or well that will yield 
an abundant supply of water, it will be found 
advantageous to irrigate ; which will largely increase 
the crop and greatly lengthen the bearing 
season. 

Hydraulic rams, steam or gasoline engines, wind- 
mills, etc., are all used to pump the water where 
needed ; but if you can run it on the field by gravity, 
so much the better for you. It may be applied in 
furrows opened in the rows (the furrows being filled 
up as soon as the water has soaked away), or it may 



CULTIVATION, MULCHING, IRRIGATION 



25 



be sprinkled on the plants after sundown with 
an ordinary hose-nozzle. 

The Biggie Orchard Book says on this subject : 
In regions of normal rainfall, artificial watering is 
seldom practised or necessary. Cultivation, under 
normal conditions, conserves sufficient moisture for 
usual needs. In California and some other states, 
irrigation is desirable. Folks who need to practise 
this method should write to the Secretary, U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and 
ask for Farmers' Bulletin No. 116, entitled "Irriga- 
tion in Fruit Growing. 

HINTS I HAVE GATHERED 



It pays to carry a file and keep your hoe sharp. 

A rope or handle to the 
harrow helps to guide the im- 
plement. 

A thorough job of cultiva- 
ting can't be done by going 
through a row only once. Culti- 
vate each row at least twice. 

It takes an enormous amount 
of water to irrigate one acre of 
land ; so don't expect to do the 
job with a small, inexpensive 
outfit. 

For wide rows — such as 
blackberries, etc. , — it is often pos- 
sible to use a harrow to better 
advantage than a cultivator. The 
Acme does good work here. 

In very small gardens a 
wheel-hoe, to be pushed by hand, 
has its uses. Then, of course, in 




IN VERY SMALL GARDENS A 
WHEEL-HOE HAS US USES 



26 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

all kinds of gardens, small or large, the ordinary hand-hoe 
is indispensable lor certain kinds of work. 

The important thing is not to allow the weeds to get 
a start. They are easily kept down when young by stirring 
the soil, but once allowed to gain headway, the labor of 
fighting them is greatly increased. Weeds kill easiest when 
the sun shines hot, 

I usually set my horse-cultivator to run about two inches 
deep, for I believe that this plan best conserves moisture and 
avoids danger of cutting roots. Once in ten days is not too 
often to cultivate ; and always, after a rain, the ground should 
be stirred with cultivator, rake, harrow or hoe as soon as dry 
enough to work. (How late in the season to cultivate, and 
similar special directions, are treated farther on in this book.) 

Berries want water ; more of it than they are likely to get. 
Irrigation makes big berries out of what otherwise might be 
little ones, or helps to make the last picking almost as fine as 
the first. It makes big. showy berries, but also makes them 
with less color, soft in texture and not so good in quality 
as without it. It is more satisfactory to sell water in the berry 
than in milk, especially after it has been drained from 
the cow. — J. H. Hale, Connecticut. 

Irrigation is beneficial in many ways, but especially so 
when the fruit is swelling, for berries love moisture, and can 
not perfect their fruit without it. How and where to apply it 
has caused many doubts. We have usually let it run between 
rows on the surface, our land being neither level nor steep. 
Water runs a long distance without soaking away too soon and 
without washing. We have never tried plowing a light 
furrow and laying small underground tiles, but the plan 
seems feasible for steep side-hills, and not too expensive 
to be profitable.— J. W. ADAMS, Massachusetts. 



PLATE III 




BRANDVWINE 




CRESCENT 



MICHEL'S EARLY 



Chapter III 



SPRAY PUMPS AND FORMULAS 



Get after bugs rvith prayer and a good spray pump. — Tim. 



Often I am asked ; " What is the best kind of a 
pump to buy ? ' ' The answer is not an easy one, for 
very much depends upon a man's needs. For a 
very small fruit garden, one of the cheap hand- 
atomizers sold by seedsmen might answer the pur- 
pose. These hold about a quart of liquid and cost a 
dollar or less. 

If the garden is of 
fair size, and yet not too 
large, one of the com- 
pressed-air, shoulder- 
strap sprayers (several 
makes are on the mar- 
ket) would be just the 
thing. 

On large areas a 
more powerful appara- 
tus of greater capacity 

is required. Perhaps a -mmmm^ ^ .;• 4 - ~^te*. 
barrel or tank outfit, 
mounted on a wagcn 
and worked by hand, 
would do the job. Or 
it might be best to in- 




A COMPRESSED-AIK SHOULDER-STRAP 
SPRAYER IS HANDY IN SMALL PATCHES 



(27) 



2b Rir.CiLE BERRV ROOK 

vest in one of the power outfits that are operated 
by either a gasoHne engine, geared connection with 
wagon wheels, or compressed gas in cylinders. 
Some of these machines are designed to spray several 
rows of strawberries or two rows of vines at once 
automatically. 

The ordinary wagon barrel-pump can be used as 
a four- row strawberry sprayer, by purchasing a 
four-nozzle attachment which can be fastened on to 
the back of the wagon and connected with the barrel- 
pump. Thus, with a man to pump and a boy to 
drive, the work is done thoroughly and automatically 
as fast as a team, straddling one row, can walk 
along. This attachment costs, complete with nozzles, 
connections, etc., but not including pump or barrel, 
about ^12, and is for sale by several spray-pump 
manufacturers. Of course, it is only suited to 
large fields. 

A good pump should have non-corrosive brass 
working parts ; it should be simply made and easily 
taken apart for repairs ; it should work easily and 
be capable of maintaining a steady, high-pressure 
spray from one or several nozzles ; it should be 
properly arranged to prevent clogging ; and it should 
be provided with some kind of an agitator to keep 
the solution in vigorous motion and thoroughly 
distributed. A cheap pump is usually a poor invest- 
ment. Get a good one. 

Fungicides. — Bordeaux m'xture is the best and 
most useful of all known fungicides for general use. 
It is made by taking three pounds of sulphate of 
copper, four pounds of quicklime, fifty gallons of 



SPRAY PUMPS AND FORMULAS 



29 



water. First dissolve the copper sulphate. The 
easiest, quickest way to do this, is to put it into a 
coarse cloth bag and suspend the bag in a receptacle 
partly filled with water. Next, slake the hme in a 




SPRAYING A YOUNG NINETY-ACRE VINEYARD WITH BORDEAUX, 
USING A GASOLINE-ENGINE APPARATUS 



tub, and strain the milk of lime thus obtained into 
another receptacle. Now get some one to help you, 
and, with buckets, simidtaneoitsly pour the two 
liquids into the spraying barrel or tank. Lastly, add 
sufficient water to make fifty gallons. 



30 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Powdered sulphur ; This is another fungicide ; it 
is sometimes used for mildew on currant leaves, 
gooseberry bushes, etc. Dust or blow it on when 
the plants are wet. 

Insecticides. — Of these there are a number of 
good ones, as follows : 

Paris green : Two pounds of quicklime, one- 
quarter pound of Paris green, fifty gallons of water. 
The lime helps to neutralize the caustic action of 
Paris green on tender foliage. Keep mixture well 
agitated while spraying. 

Arsenate of lead : Several ready -prepared, com- 
mercial forms of this poison are on the market, and 
only need dissolving in water ; use about two pounds 
to fifty gallons of water. For general use 1 think 
that arsenate of lead is much Letter than Paris green ; 
it sticks better and lasts longer on foliage, remains 
in suspension in water longer, and it never injures 
any foliage, even if applied in excessive quantities. 

White hellebore : This, if fresh, may be used 
instead of Paris green or arsenate of lead in some 
cases —worms on currant and gooseberry bushes, for 
instance. It is not such a powerful poison as the 
arsenites, and therefore is safer to use in the family 
garden. Steep two ounces in one gallon of hot 
water, and use as a spray, stirring it often. 

Bordeaux Combined with Insect Poison. — 
By adding one-quarter pound of Paris green to each 
fifty gallons of the Bordeaux formula, the mixture be- 
comes a combined fungicide and insecticide. Or, 
instead of Paris green, add about two pounds of 
arsenate of lead. With this combination the fruit 



SPRAY PUMPS AND FORMULAS 3 I 

grower is able to fight fungous diseases and most 
insect pests with one spray, and I trust that my 
readers will often avail themselves of this useful team; 
if carefully handled, they'll pull nicely together and 
do their work well. 

For Sucking Insects. — Now we come to another 
class of insecticides, suited to insects which suck a 
plant's juices but do not chew. Arsenic will not kill 
such pests ; therefore we must resort to solutions 
which kill by contact. Here are some of the best- 
known recipes of this kind : 

Kerosene emulsion : One-half pound of hard or 
one quart of soft soap ; kerosene, two gallons ; boiling 
soft water, one gallon. If hard soap is used, slice it 
fine and dissolve in water by boiling ; add the boiling 
solution (away from the fire) to the kerosene, and 
stir or violently churn for from five to eight minutes, 
until the mixture assumes a creamy consistency. If 
a spray pump is at hand, pump the mixture back 
upon itself with considerable force for about five 
minutes. Keep this as a stock. // must be further 
diluted with soft water before using. One part of 
emulsion to fifteen parts of water is about right 
for lice. 

Whale-oil soap solution : Dissolve one pound of 
whale-oil soap in a gallon of hot water, and dilute 
with about six gallons of cold water. This is a good 
application for aphis (lice) and scale insects. 

Tobacco tea : This solution may be prepared by 
placing five pounds of tobacco stems in a water-tight 
vessel, and then covering them with three gallons of 
hot water. Allow to stand several hours ; dilute the 



SPRAY PUMPS AND FORMULAS 33 

liquor by adding about seven gallons of water. 
Strain and apply. Good for lice. 

Pyrethrum ; This is also known as buhach, or 
Persian insect powder. The best is called California 
buhach ; the imported powder is not so fresh as a rule, 
and therefore not so strong. It may be used as a dry 
powder, dusted on with a powder bellows when the 
plants are wet ; or one ounce of it may be steeped in 
one gallon of water, and sprayed on the plants or 
vines at any time. A good lice remedy. 

Special Note : The various insect and fungous 
pests which attack small fruits are specifically 
mentioned in the chapters on The Strawberry, The 
Grape, etc., together with the best remedies to use in 
each case. 

SPRAYING NOTES 

After spraying, pump water through the pump and hose 
to clean them of the mixture, so that it shall not needlessly 
corrode them. 

All spraying mixtures should be constantly agitated when 
in use. If this is not done, some of the ingredients, particularly 
Paris green, is apt to settle to the bottom of tank or barrel. 

Remember that fungicides are not cures, but preventives . 
It is important to begin their use early in the season before the 
trouble begins, and repeat the application several times at 
intervals. 

Bees are excellent friends of the fruit grower, because they 
help to pollinate berry blossoms. Therefore this rule is a good 
one : Never spray fruit vines or bushes when they are in 
blossom, for fear of killing the bees. 

All spraying mixtures should be strained before using, to 
prevent cloggmg the nozzles. A box, with the bottom and top 
knocked out, will make a frame for a strauier; a brass-wire 



34 



HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



mesh — eighteen or twenty meshes to the inch — can be securely 
tacked around the bottom to complete the job. 

It must be remembered that most spraying materials are 
poisonous and should be so labeled. If ordinary precautions 
are taken, there is no danger attending their appUcation. 
Properly-sprayed fruit (that is. fruit not sprayed too near the 
time of maturity) is. on account of the great dilution and the 
action of rains, perfectly safe to eat. 

The Vermorel nozzle is very popular; so are several other 
makes that I have tried. The main thing to demand is a nozzle 

that will throw a fine mist, 
like steam, which settles on 
the plants like dew. A 
sprinkler, resulting in much 
drip upon tne ground, is not 
wanted. And, too, a good 
nozzle should not clog 
easily, and when it does clog 
it should be quickly clean- 
able. 

The lime-sulphur mix- 
ture is the standard remedy 
for the San Jose scale. 
Seedsmen sell it by the quart 
or gallon. The time to use 
t is after the leaves are off 
— in the late fall or early 
spring. Currant bushes, etc., 
if attacked by this pest, 
should have prompt treat- 
ment. It is a round, dark 
scale with a central dot or 
nipple, and is not easy to 
see without the aid of a 
magnifying glass. (Note: 
Seedsmen also sell ready-nrepared Bordeaux, kerosene emul- 
sion, Bordeaux-arsenate of lead, etc. So it isn't necessary to 
make these sprays at home unless you prefer to do so. ) 




A GOOD NOZZLE SHOULD THROW 
FINE MIST, LIKE STEAM 



PLATE IV 




LADY THOMPSON 



Chapter IV 



THE STRAWBERRY 



" Doubtless the Lord might have made a better fruit than the 
strawberry, but doubtless He never did." 

Being: the first fruit to ripen, the strawberry comes 
to the table as a welcome visitor when the appetite 
is capricious. So beautiful in form, color and fra- 
grance, it is among fruits what the rose is among 
flowers. In flavor so delicious, in healthfulness so 
beneficial, that invalids often gain strength while its 
season lasts. Strawberries fully ripe and freshly 
picked from the vines may be eaten at every meal, in 
saucers heaped high hke pyramids, and will usually 
nourish the most delicate stomachs. 

The charms of the strawberry do not all end in 
the eating of it. No fruit is so soon produced after 
being planted. It affords employment — pleasant, 
easy and profitable— for pocr men with little land; 
for old men with little physical strength ; for women, 
boys and girls who love to till the soil and delve 
in mother earth. 

Profit in Strawberries. —Novices in berry 
culture will be surprised to know that more bushels of 
strawberries can be grown on an acre than of wheat 
or corn, but such is the fact, as testified to by many 
experienced growers. 

Prof. Bailey, in his " Horticulturist's Rule Book," 
says that the average yield of an acre of straw- 
berries is from seventy-five to 300 bushels. 

(35) 




36 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Mr. Rosa, Delaware, reports that from one and 
one-fourth acres he sold, one summer, 169 crates of 
thirty-two quarts each, or 5,408 quarts. They were 
sold in Philadelphia and paid him net, not counting 
the picking, $653.79, or 
more than twelve cents per 
quart. 

From a patch only 108 x 
213 feet in size, W. E. 
Pennypacker, Pennsylvania, 
recently sold in one season, 
4,721 quarts for $461. 

P>om Boise, Idaho, comes 
an interesting strawberry 
item, relative to the patch 
of I. H .Waite, located a short 

PICKING MARSHALLS FOR •' 

mother's dessert distance from that city. Mr. 

Waite' s patch measured just a little short of an acre 
and a quarter. He marketed his first berries June i st, 
and from that date until July 7th he brought in 12,798 
boxes, from w^hich he realized $807.70. 

And here' s a big report from Cahfornia ; ' ' We 
began to market our strawberries on March 30, 1907, 
and picked every day until October 25th. The area 
was two and three-quarter acres, and the variety 
Brandy wine. The sales were 79,000 baskets (pints), 
for which we received $5,000 Such yields are not 
possible in the East, however 1 am a Pennsylvanian, 
and know." — O. A. Lobingier. 

I myself have grown strawberries at the rate 
of 200 bushels per acre ; but one year 1 expected 300 
bushels and srot about fiftv. It is never safe to count 



THE STRAWBERRY 



37 



on too much, nor to be too sure of results, nor to 
increase the acreage unduly. Small patches, as a 
rule, are much more profitable than large ones. 

The expense of bringing an acre of berries into 
profitable bearing is greater than most folks think. 
There's the interest or rent on the land, the value of 
the plants set (whether you buy or raise them), the 
cost of heavy fertihzing, horse hire or keep, labor, 
wear and tear on implements, etc. "You may 
safely estimate, ' ' says a successful Wisconsin grower, 
" that every acre of good small fruits, well set, missing 
hills filled in and brought to a bearing age, will cost 

from $ioo to $150, or 
an equivalent in honest 
work at ^ 1 . 50 per day. ' ' 
Soil AND Location. 
— The strawberry will 
adapt itself to a great 
variety of soils and loca- 
tion. It is grown suc- 
cessfully in every state 
in the Union, as it is 
prized by the people 
everywhere. Different 
varieties require some- 
what different conditions 
in climate and soil ; thus 
one that thrives on 
sandy land may not do 
so well on clay ; and 

•HIS MAN HAS A sTKAw.EHRv certain kinds that 
PATCH RIGHT AT HIS uooR succced In northem 




38 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

latitudes will not stand a hot southern sun ; and 
vice versa. 

Almost any soil that will produce a good crop of 
corn or notatoes will give fair returns with straw- 
berries ; land inclined to be moist (l^ut not too wet) 
and not subject to injury by drought, will be best. 

If early bearing is wanted, take an early variety, 
set on sunny southwest-lying land. If you want late 
fruit, take a late variety, set on an east or northeast 
slope and allow the mulch to remain as long as 
possible. 

Be sure to read, carefully, the various hints given 
in Chapter I about soils, altitude, drainage, fertilizing, 
plowing, harrowing, marking, etc., and, especially, 
pay heed to the remarks about ' ' preliminary prepa- 
ration ' ' and the importance of not setting berries on 
land which has recently been in grass sod. 

Generally speaking, a well-drained clay-loam, 
filled with humus, is an ideal strawberry soil ; but 
this fruit often does well on more sandy soils. A 
heavy, stiff clay is least desirable, in my opinion. 

For raising plants to sell, says A. I. Root, Ohio, I 
should prefer low bottom land inchningto sand, made 
very rich with manure ; but for raising berries I 
should take upland, turn under clover sod and work 
in all the stable manure I could get hold of. There 
is practically no such thing as making it too rich. 

Obtaining Plants to Set — To grow straw- 
berries successfully, beginners should order their 
plants of some rehable nurseryman very early in the 
spring. If a dozen, thirty or a hundred plants only 
are wanted, they can be sent by mail. Five hun- 



THE STRAWBERRY 



39 



dred, or more, should go by express. If ordered 
early the nurseryman will send them as soon as the 
ground is fit for planting. (The following year the 
off-shoots or runners from these first plants should 
furnish a surplus of plants for setting a second bed, 
and so on, indefinitely.) 

When plants are received by mail or express 
from a distance, they should be opened at once and 
the roots should be 
dipped in water. If 
the ground is not 
ready for them, 
break open the 
bunches, spread out 
the roots, and 
"heel them in" 
closely together in 
moist earth in a 
sheltered spot out- 
doors, or in the 
cellar. Heeling-in 
means simply a 
temporary plant- 
ing, plants touching each other, and placed in a half- 
reclining position. In this way, if watered and shaded, 
they may be safely kept several days or weeks. 

If the plants are in plant beds of your own or 
a neighbor's raising, dig up the whole row, throwing 
out the old plants. If plants must be taken from a 
fruiting bed, you can dig from the side of the rows. 
But, remember, this last method means that you'll 
get only the smaller, weaker plants ; it is much 




A REFRESHINfi TTM I', I.EKFL'L 

(Cluster ol'Ciandys) 



40 BIGGLE BERRY ROOK 

better to dig an entire row as far as necessary, even 
in a fruiting bed. Why plant ' ' little potatoes ' ' when 
you can get larger ones ? 

A potato hook is a good tool with which to dig 
strawberry plants. As fast as shaken from the soil 
gather them up. Hold the plants in the left hand, 
crowns of the plants as nearly even as possible, and 
when the hand is full trim off all runners and dead or 
diseased leaves, and lay the plants in a basket, roots 
straight and all one way. 

Take the plants to the packing house. Tie them 
in bunches and dip in water, and if to be shipped, 
pack in moss and forward as soon as possible. If to 
be set out at home, the tip ends of the roots are cut 
or sheared off before setting ; it is customary to 
remove, in this way, the lower one-quarter or one- 
third of all strawberry roots, — as an aid to new root 
formation. Some growers like to heel-in all plants a 
day or two before setting, claiming that this prelimi- 
nary treatment puts the plants in better condition 
to stand the setting ordeal ; I'm inclined to think that 
they are right, although most of us are usually in too 
big a hurry to wait. 

Caution ; As a general thing it is better not to 
set plants from an old bed which has borne even one 
crop of fruit. Plants from such beds are often not so 
full of vigor and health as those from a patch which 
has never produced berries. Also, from any bed, see 
to it that all little, feeble plants and all old or 
" parent " plants are thrown out. The dark color of 
the roots is a distinguishing mark of old plants. 
Such plants are worthless, and if any are discovered 



PLATE V. 




AROMA 



VVILLIAxM BELT 



THE STRAWBERRY ■ 4 1 

in packages sent from a nursery, they should be 
thrown away ; it is useless to set them. 

Southern people who wish to buy northern-grown 
plants should do so late in the fall. They can not 
get them early enough in the spring, and their sum- 
mer and early fall are too hot for setting plants 
grown in the North. 

Staminates and Pistillates. — Beginners may 
need to be told that the staminate plants are those 
which have both stamens and pistils and which carry 
their own pollen ; they are, therefore, called perfect 
flowering or bisexual. Blossoms of real pistillates 




contain no pollen, are imperfect flowering because 
lacking in stamens, and, therefore, require the aid of 
a staminate variety before they will produce fruit. 
A strong staminate blossom is shown in Fig. i, a 
pistillate in Fig. 2, while a feeble staminate is indica- 
ted in Fig. 3, which has a few undeveloped stamens 
only. Staminates can be grown in a bed by them- 
selves, and will bear fruit ; real pistillates are fruitless, 
unless they have staminates nearby to pollinate them. 
The necessary pollen is carried from staminates to 



42 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

pistillates by the aid of the wind and of bees ; rainy 
weather in blossoming time is apt to interfere with the 
distribution of pollen, and cause an imperfect crop of 
fruit, in which many specimens are shortened at the 
apex, and made small and ill-formed. Wet weather 
likewise interrupts the perfect development of fruit on 
staminate varieties, but to a less extent than on 
pistillates. 

It is a question often discussed among berry 
growers, whether it is not best to discard the imper- 
fect flowering varieties entirely, owing to the inconven- 
ience of having to plant a ."uitable pollenizer near 
them ; but most growers ha' e found that pistillates 
pay, because they produce niore fruit - when properly 
pollinated — than the staminates. 1 have found this 
so, myself, and always set my bed in this way : One 
row of staminates, two rows of pistillates, then one 
row of staminates, — and repeat this order throughout 
the patch. Thus each double row of imperfect 
flowers has a row of perfect flowers on each side of it. 
Some growers, however, prefer to set the pistillates 
and staminates in alternate rows. 

I would call attention to the following facts : 
Early spring frosts are more apt to injure the stami- 
nate blossoms than the pistillate. Some varieties, 
notably Haverland, which is considered a pistillate, 
have a Hftle pollen of their own, and require less care 
in planting a staminate variety near them ; in fact, the 
Haverland will almost fertihze itself. There are 
other so-called pistillates with similar capacity, 
especially in favorable seasons. 

Care must be taken that the pollenizer be a sort 



THE STRAWBERRY 43 

that will bloom abundantly, and at the right time, so 
that the adjacent pistillate blossoms may receive 
pollen throughout the blossoming period. For this 
some varieties of staminates are much better than 
others, and some are quite inadequate. It is impor- 
tant, also, that the staminates and pistillates to go 
together should be selected so that the fruit will ripen 
at about the same time. For instance, the Parker 
Earle is well adapted to fertilize the Haverland, being 
of the same form and ripening nearly at the same 
time. It is probable that every desirable pistillate 
sort has a good friend among the staminates that it 
should be married to in preference to the others, and 
the wide-awake berryman will look sharp that his 
varieties be well mated. 

A pistillate variety will vary quite perceptibly 
when fertilized by different perfect varieties ; so, if 
you want firmness, you should fertilize with a firm 
berry ; if sweetness is wanted, fertilize with a sweet 
one ; if dark color is wanted, fertilize with a dark 
one. In fact, whatever peculiarity you wish to trans- 
mit to the pistillate variety, seek it in the perfect 
variety you would fertilize with. Staminates affect 
the size, color, solidity, shape and quality of pistil- 
lates Make a study of which varieties planted 
together bring the best results. 

The honey bee will visit 10,000 strawberry 
blossoms in a single day, and thus does valuable 
cross-fertilization work for the berry grower. 

Distance Apart. — The right distance apart 
of rows and plants depends upon the method of grow- 
ing — that is, which system of growing you choose. 



44 



BIGGL£ BERRY BOOK 



Some of the systems are here ilhistrated, but are 
treated more fully in the next chapter. 

To ascertain how many plants are required for an 
acre, multiply the distance apart of the rows in feet 
by the distance apart of the plants in the rows, and 




sg. 



't»< 



HILL SYSTEM 

(Just Started) 



' ^ ^ ^ ^ 



HILL SYSTEM 

(Six months' growth) 




NARROW MATTED-ROW 
SYSTEM 




WIDE MATTED-ROWS 

( Not a good system ) 



divide the product into 43,560. Thus, if the rows 
are four feet apart and the plants two feet, it will take 
5,445 to plant an acre. 

Special note : Some varieties produce more 
runners than others, and certain kinds have longer 
runners than others ; therefore the exact distance 
apart to set plants in the row depends somewhat on 
the variety as well as upon the system. 



THE STRAWBERRY 45 

Time to Set Plants. — J. H. Hale, Connecti- 
cut, and A. I. Root, Ohio, both write me that early 
spring is the best time. As soon as the ground can 
be worked - the earlier the better is my own rule ; 
which means early April in Pennsylvania. A friend 
writes from Missouri that March ist is the best time 
to set strawberries there. 

In the South, planting can be done still earlier — 
depending, of course, upon the exact degree of lati- 



% 







r 



% 



THE HONEY-BEE VISITS THOUSANDS OF BLOSSOMS 
A SINGLE DAY, AND THUS DOES VALUABLE 
CROSS-FERTILIZATION WORK. 



tude. February is a favorite month in some southern 
states, although late fall planting is practised by many 
southern growers. Near the Gulf, plants are often 
set in late summer during rainy weather. 

Now we come to the question of late-summer or 
early-fall set plants in the North. Some growers 
claim that by the use of pot-grown plants set, say, in 
August, they can save one season's time and yet 
get good crops of big berries the following June. 



46 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



Yes, this is possible ; it has been done, it may be 
done again. But pot-grown plants are expensive, 
and the labor of setting many plants closely together 
(for no runners can be expected to help fill out rows) 
is excessive. Personally, I prefer spring setting with 
ordinary plants, and thou- 
sands of growers will agree 
with me in this. Those who 
wish to try the fall planting 
method, however, will find 
additional information about pot-grown plants in the 
next chapter. 




METHOD OF OBTAINING 
POTTED PLANTS 



PLATE VI 





BEDERWOOD 



/^ 






LOVETT 



CLIMAX 



Chapter V 



THE STRAWBERRY (Continued) 



Halve your acreage and double your fertilizer. — Tim. 



Presuming that you have the plants ready, theground 
prepared and marked as suggested in Chapter I, 
I will now proceed to the operation of setting, — 
and an important one it is, too. 

There are at least five good ways to grow straw- 
berries, viz., the hill system, the single, double and 




NICE BERRIES 



SLACK PACKED 



triple hedge-row systems, and the narrow matted-row 
system. It is not the quantity, numerically speaking, 
but the quality and size of the berries that count ; 
and to produce large well-colored and highly-flavored 
berries the plants must have ample room to develop 
and admit of cultivation. 

(47) 



48 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

The method of growing strawberries in wide, 
thickly-matted rows, says Geo. W. Stephens, Iowa, 
or where the vines are allowed to spread all over the 
ground, can not be recommended, because no culti- 
vation is possible in the row, and consequently the 
ground soon dries out, and the result is a lot of 
crowded and stunted plants that will yield less than 
half a crop of small berries, and the second year 
hardly any, (See picture of wide matted-rows in 
Chapter IV.) This is the reason so many growers set 
out a new patch every year or two and plow up the 
old one. When grown by the hill or hedge-row 
systems the plants may bear good crops for from 
three to five years or even longer, and, where the 
fertility of the soil is kept up, many crowns will be 
capable of yielding enormous crops of berries. Some 
varieties do their best only in hills. 

For a hedge-row, mark out the rows two and one- 
half feet apart and set the plants al^out two feet in the 
T— 7i^-A T— 71^^-n '»-^— «* row. (This is for horse cul- 

siNGLH HEDGE-ROW tlvatlon ; two fcct is ample 

for hand-hoe or wheel-hoe work.) Then allow two 
runners to grow from each plant and layer them in 
the row in a straight line with the mother plants. 
When the row is completed the plants will be about 
eight inches apart in the row. (See illustration.) 

For a double hedge-row place the rows three feet 
apart and form an ordinary hedge-row. Then allow 
one runner to grow from each plant, layering them 
along one side, forming a second 

hedge-row eight or nine inches r~~it t T~t t^l" i 
from the first, as indicated in cut. double hedge-row 



THE STRAWBERRY 49 

For a triple hedge-row place the rows three and 
one-half feet apart and the plants about two feet in 
the row. (Rows may be six inches narrower for hoe 
work.) Allow four runners to ^_^ , 
grow from the mother plant, L_^_^ *— it-ot: L-X-^ 
layering two of them in the «— ^ i « — i i >L-Jfc I 
row and one at each side. '^'^'^^^ hedge-row 

Then let each of the four runner plants throw out one 
runner, and layer them in the two outside rows as 
shown in the drawing. 

By the last two methods, no runner-plant is 
allowed to exhaust itself by throwing out more than 
one runner, and all will be earlier and stronger than 
they otherwise would. Layer the runners in regular 
order so that they will be straight in the row and 
in line across the row. 

Narrow matted-row system ; This is practically 
the same as the triple hedge-row, except that little or 
no care is used in placing the runners, — which are 
allowed to form and set almost at will until a compact 
row about eighteen inches wide results ; then any 
runners which straggle outside the row are cut off. 
(See illustration in Chapter IV.) This system, being 
less trouble than a s> stematic hedge-row, is popular 
with many growers ; and if such a bed is kept only 
one or two years, it usually proves profitable. Its 
weak point lies in the fact that too many plants are 
apt to set in the row unless you are careful, and 
crowding means smaller fruit. Rightly handled— 
and keeping such a bed only one year I have found 
the narrow matted row a satisfactory system on. 
my grounds 



50 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Hill system of culture : Set the plants about 
fifteen inches apart in rows about three feet apart, 
for horse cultivation, or in two-foot rows for hoe work 
only. All runners are promptly and regularly cut 
off all through the growing season, and the plants, 
not being exhausted by runner bearing, put all their 
strength into themselves and grow big, sturdy and 
bushy. (See two illustrations in Chapter IV.) This 
method requires high culture and fertilization to 
produce satisfactory results. In addition to other 
fertilizing, occasional applications of nitrate of soda 
the first season, and again the following spring after 
growth starts, are helpful. Nitrate of soda is useful 
in any system of strawberry growing, but must be 
used with care ; it is a powerful stimulant and too 
much may harm the plants. It should be applied in 
small doses often. About loo pounds at a dose to 
the acre is usually enough, and, generally speaking, 
it should not come in direct contact with plants. 
One pound is enough for about loo feet of row. 

Another excellent way of growing plants in hills, 
is to set them 20 x 20 inches apart each way, and 
leave a thirty -inch aisle between each three rows. 

Setting Plants. — Have a boy to carry the plants, 
roots down, in a pail with a little water in it. Have 
him drop or place the plants as fast as needed - and 
no faster. Openings for the plants can be made at 
proper distances along the row with an ordinary spade. 
Force it into the soil, upright, push it slightly from 
you, and the opening is made. Into this put the 
roots, spreading them out fan-shape. Be careful not 
to set too deep as in Fig. i , or too shallow as in Fig. 2, 



THE STRAWBERRY 



51 



and do not bunch the roots as in 
that every one goes in hke Fig. 4. 
firmly around the roots and tread it 



Fig. 3, but see 

Press the soil 

down with the 




FIG. I FIG. 2 FIG. 3 FIG. 4 

feet — ///w zs iinportant. Also nip off any runners, 
blossoms or unhealthy leaves that may not have been 
previously removed. A special trowel, Fig. 5, flat 
like a mason's trowel, but wide and full at the point, 
with extra long handle, is a tool used by some grow- 
ers for setting. Some other growers use dibbers. 

If the plants are in good condition, the soil moist, 
and the setting properly done at the right season, 
they should not need shading. Do the setting 
toward evening, if you can ; then they have all night 
to recuperate in before the heat of another 
day. In a small garden, however, it is 
often a help to shade the newly-set plants 
for a few days ; the small grower can 
utilize shingles, newspapers, berry boxes, 
etc., etc., for this worthy purpose. 

Two men and a boy, working together, fig. 5 

can do fast work setting plants in large fields. The 
first man makes the holes with a spade or other tool, 
the boy drops the plants, and the second man, on his 
knees, places the plants in position and pulls the soil 
around the roots. The first man, after making a few 



52 



HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



holes ahead of the planter, can go back occasionally 
and firm the soil around the plants with his feet- 
returning again to his hole-making job. Transplant- 
ing machines drawn by horses are sometimes used for 
very large areas, and these are supphed with a 

watering device. ^ , , . , ^ a 

Cultivation.— As soon as the field is planted, 
start the cultivator or hoe at once, so as to loosen up 
the top two inches of the trodden land and stop the 




, P.ERRY-SKTTING SCENE IN NEW JERSEY 



evaporation of soil moisture. Cultivation should 
continue at regular intervals, say ten days apart, 
until the ground freezes in the fall. As the rows 
widen narrow down the cultivator and depend upon 
hand-hoeing and hand-puUing to keep out weeds 
inside the row. 

Several kinds of claw-hke hand weeders are on 
the market, and for close work around plants are a 
great saving of skin and nails. Harriet says that 
steel is cheaper than finger tips. Various shaped 
hoes are favored by different growers, but for myself 



THK STRAWBERRY 53 

a hoe like Fig. 6 is good enough for general work ; 
the blade is only three inches wide. However, for 
work inside of full rows, 1 should want ip*^;;;^^,^^^^— 
— in addition —an extra hoe cut with a LJ 
file into the shape shown by the fig. 6 

dotted lines in Fig. 7. This makes a very excellent 
strawberry hoe, with various cutting edges. 

In late autumn make surface ditches or furrows 
to catch the winter's surface waters and so prevent 
water standing on the plants. Of course, when the 
ground is frozen, water can not soak into tile drains 
even if you have them. A little study will show where 
to run the ditches so as most surely to lead away 

r rxl^r x overflows. If not needed longer in 

/ ^ ; ' '. A spring they can be closed up. They 

|;^^K££p EocE %tim> 11 need generally be no bigger than 
^"^- 7 furrows. Tile underdrains are often 

needed in the berry patch, also, and the two supple- 
ment each other very nicely. 

Blossoms and Fruit. — Allow no blossoms or 
fruit the first season. Premature bearing weakens 
the plants, and to permit it is poor economy. 

Cutting Runners. — A sha7-p hoe is the only run- 
ner cutter used on my patch. Various patented con- 
trivances have been exploited at different times, but 
the hoe is sufficiently handy and efficient for most 
people. For plants grown in hills, it might pay to go 
to the expense of a specially-made runner cutter. 
A round hoop of steel, thin and sharp at the bottom, 
and connected with an upright long handle, is a tool 
which any blacksmith could make to your order. 
It should be large enough to fit around a plant with- 





H 


J»w*-- 


'*;> ^^^i^^^^lHf^K^^HHJj^^^^ 


1 


VyipPS^w^^^^ ailji^y TifTSF ds tlM 


M 


.^^^®; ^ -M MJ 


^M 


f^^^^^c^n^MMI 


<^V- 1 


^^»^%S^^^^^^^*yi[ 


^^L, ^ 


^^^$^^i^^ 


J 


"^^M| 


• 


'.ji <^ . .ypiii^ jg^ ■ 


t 


l^W 




THE STRAWBERRY 55 

out harming the leaves ; then, by pressing down on 
the handle, the sharpened bottom will cut off runners 
on all sides at one chp, on the principle of the tin 
cooky-cutter which Harriet uses in the kitchen. 
Some folks make a serviceable 
runner cutter by bending a hoe 
into the shape shown in Fig. 8. 

While I'm on this subject of runner cutting, let 
me say that if you are growing a hedge or matted row, 
do not make the mistake of cutting off the first set of 
runners that the plants throw out. Root these first 
runners, for the sooner runners can be rooted, the 
longer they will have to grow and perfect fruit buds 
for next season's crop. A while ago, many growers 
advocated cutting the early runners so as to strengthen 
the plants, and then rooting the secondXoX. of runners. 

Experience has shown that this plan is usually a 
mistake. Root the early rttnners and cut off the later 
ones after the row is formed. 

Potted Plants for Late Setting. — For late- 
summer or early-fall planting, which is usually a dry 
time, it is very important that young plants for setting 
should be removed without cutting or even disturbing 
the roots. Small pots are used into which the roots 
are induced to grow. They must not, however, be 
allowed to remain until they are too compactly 
rooted, — that is, pot-bound. August is generally the 
best time to set pot-grown plants. 

A woodcut shown in Chapter IV represents the 
method of potting runners. Pot-grown plants can be 
had of most nurserymen ; or you can easily raise 
them yourself by buying a number of tiny pots, filHng 



56 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

them with earth, sinking them alongside a new straw- 
berry bed, and causing a runner to take root in each 
pot. Of course this potting must be done a number 
of weeks before setting time. To facihtate the root- 
ing of a runner in a pot, press the runner shghtly into 
the soil in centre, and then hold it in place with 
a small stone. It will soon root and fill the pot with 
roots ; then, when ready, the runner which holds it to 
the parent plant should be severed and the pot hfted 
from the soil and removed to the setting field. There 
the plants should be watered before setting. 

For this late setting begin to prepare the ground 
a few weeks ahead of planting time. Plow it early so 
that it will have a chance to settle, Harrow or rake 
it often, to keep down weeds and conserve moisture. 
Then the bed will be in fine shape to receive 
the plants. 

Space the plants as advised under ' ' hill system 
of culture." When setting a plant, simply invert 
the pot, jar the plant loose, and carefully remove 
it from the pot ; then without disturbing the roots, set 
the plant in the hole where it is to go and press soil 
firmly around it, — being careful not to cover the crown. 

Keep off all runners, if any form ; cultivate until 
the ground freezes ; and then mulch the bed. A fair 
crop of berries may be expected the following June. 

As already stated I do not advocate August or 
September setting in the North as a general thing. 
But in a small way in the home garden, or for the 
man who wasn't able to set plants in the spring, or 
for those who want to get a quick test of some new 
variety, the plan is sometimes worth following. 



THE STRAWBERRY 



57 



In closing this subject, permit me to say that z/" all 
conditions are favorable (which they seldom are), it is 
possible to set strawberry plants in August without a 
preliminary potting treatment. In this connection a 
friend writes : "In our own garden, our land being 
somewhat inclined to clay, we can take up the plants 
with a round trowel with a lump of soil adhering and 
thus remove them to their new quarters without loss. 
Their growth will not in 
the least be retarded. The 
best crop we have ever 
produced was from plants 
set out on the nineteenth 
day of August, the plat 
being 250 feet long and five 
rows wide. When planted 
in the spring it requires the 
best part of two seasons to 
perfect a large yield, thus 
losing the use of the land 
for one entire season and 
adding much to the labor 
for so much longer a 
period ; for the cost of cultivating so short a time in 
hills is trifling compared with hoeing and weeding 
where runners are permitted to grow." 

Hothouse Berries.— Few commercial growers 
attempt to force winter berries under glass, because 
southern-grown strawberries now reach northern 
markets early and cheaply. Hothouse berries must 
be pollinated by hand and it is troublesome and 
expensive to grow them successfully. Pot-grown 




SHADING NEWLY-SET PLANTS 
WITH BERRY BOXES 



58 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

plants, allowed to freeze outdoors, and later moved 
indoors, are best to use. The temperature should 
not be very warm at first ; increase the heat by 
degrees. 

Mulching. — The importance of mulching is be- 
coming better understood than formerly, and the 
work is done with more thoroughness. Early winter 
is the best time to do the work, after the ground 
becomes hard enough to bear a team. Swamp hay, 
straw and cut corn-fodder are all good materials for 
the purpose. The plants should be covered up out of 
sight during the winter, and in the spring the mulch 
should be "loosened up" and only part of it 
allowed to remain. The surplus can be forked into 
the aisles between rows. 

Late berries : A heavy mulch left on extra late 
in the spring insures late berries (if you want them). 
The plants must have some vent, if covered deeply, 
after the weather warms up, but do not rake the mulch 
off the row. For a late crop of berries four inches is 
not too deep for the mulch. 

Taking the mulch off too soon is a fruitful cause 
of injury from frost. 

Spring Cultivation. — This is a delusion and a 
snare. Keep the ground of a fruiting bed moist and 
mellow by a suitable mulch, not by cultivation ; and 
pull out by hand, if you wish, any weeds which 
succeed in pushing through the mulch. 



PLATE VII. 




BUBACH 




EXCELSIOR 



Chapter VI 



THE STRAWBERRY (Concluded) 



The family is entitled to a daily feast of strawberries in 
reason. — Harriet. 

Now I'll tell you how to renovate old beds. By- 
old beds I mean any strawberry bed which has just 
produced a crop of berries. If you run your patch 
according to the hill system or any of the hedge-row 
systems already mentioned, you can perhaps keep 
the bed several years to advantage. Proceed thus : 
The second year and each year thereafter as long as 




the plants are fruited, as soon as the picking is over 
remove the mulch and mow the leaves and rake 
them into the aisles and burn them, or burn mulch 
and leaves as advised in the next paragraph ; then 
cultivate the same as the first year, keeping off all 

(59) 



6o BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

runners the entire season. Apply winter mulch as 
before. 

For the matted-row system, the following plan is 
often recommended : After fruiting time mow off the 
plant leaves and tops, let them dry a day or so, rake 
them into the aisles, and then set fire to dry leaves and 
mulch. Choose a dry, windy day for this job, so 
that the fire will run quickly along the rows. (Note : 
Some growers advocate burning the leaves and 
mulch directly on the fruiting rows ; but experience 
has shown that the plants are thus likely to be 
damaged unless all conditions are just right. It's 
too big a risk, 1 think.) As soon as the new growth 
starts, narrow down the rows by plowing one furrow 
away from each side, and then cultivate the soil back 
into place. Then treat the bed the same as the first 
year. When it has borne two crops, better plow it 
under and set the field to sweet corn or something 
else. The finest berries generally grow on ne\^ beds. 
Instead of plowing away from the rows, some growers 
prefer to turn furrows from the aisles over iipoi the 
rows, and then harrow the field lengthwise and cross- 
wise sufficiently to uncover the plants and partially 
level the ground. 

Generally speaking, it is better not to follow 
strawberries with strawberries, if you can help it, in 
the same spot until the soil has been "rested" or 
rotated a year or so with other crops. Remember 
that an old bed is a prolific breeding place for 
strawberry fungi and insects. A new bed each year 
in a new place is usually the safest policy ; but there 
are exceptions to this rule. 




THE STRAWBERRY 6l 

Insects and Diseases. - Leaf-spot, blight, rust 
and mildew can all be largely controlled by early 
sprayings with Bordeaux mixture. Rotation of crops 
and the annual mowing and burning of each bed 
after it has fruited, will usually control the crown- 
borer, the leaf-roller, and similar insects ; also, put 
some arsenate of , ."^, 

lead in the Bor- y*f5^ r^%M 

deaux mixture and 
use the combined 
spray until little 
green berries begin 

to form, then stop, no blight or grubs in this patch 

and resume spraying after the fruiting season is over. 
White grubs (larvae of May beetles, or "June bugs," 
as they are sometimes called) often attack the roots 
below ground, and the plant withers and dies ; there 
are no good remedies, but fall-plowing and regular 
cultivation are preventives ; never plant strawberries 
on ground which has been in sod within two or three 
years and you'll have little trouble with white grubs. 

Some varieties are more liable to rust, etc., than 
others, and the trouble appears to be greater in some 
neighborhoods than in others. If possible, plant 
varieties which are least subject to fungous troubles. 
Keeping a bed only one season, rotation in planting, 
and using only strong, healthy plants for setting, are 
all helpful in fightmg these diseases. Remember, 
Bordeaux should be applied early in the spring, and 
again after the blossoms fall. For the newdy-set bed 
apply as often as there is any sign of rust. 

Root lice often appear in great numbers,^ feeding 



62 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

on the roots of the plants. Plants received from 
nurseries should always be examined, and if lice are 
on them, they should be dipped in kerosene emulsion. 

It is best to be watchful of all destructive insects, 
and where any of them are very troublesome, change 
plants and ground, burn the bed over after fruiting 
and plow down. 

Other Pests. — Moles in their search for white 
grubs, often burrow along a row of plants and 
damage them by heaving them up. One or two mole 
traps, for sale by seedsmen and implement dealers, 
will prevent this trouble if it becomes serious. The 
moles, however, are doing you a good turn in one 
way— they eat the grubs. 

Robins and other birds take their toll from the 
berry patch, but on large fields the proportion of loss 
caused by them is so small that commercial growers 
disregard it, — remembering the great good these 
same birds do in the way of destroying insects. On 
a small patch, though, the damage from birds is 
sometimes serious enough to warrant special meas- 
ures. Cheap mosquito-netting might be spread over 
a small patch ; or around currant bushes. I know of 
one strawberry lover who screens in quite a fair-sized 
bed of strawberries ; he uses wire poultry-netting, 
supported, top and sides, six feet high, and leaves the 
netting there permanently. Another grower uses 
cotton netting placed along the rows and removes it 
when the pickers are at work. 

Hens are a pest in the berry field at fruiting time; 
keep them out. 

Toads are friends of the gardener, because of the 



THE STRAWBERRY 63 

many insects they devour. Never kill or drive away 
a toad. Lady-bugs, or lady-birds, are friends, too; 
they eat the tiny lice that suck a plant's juices. 
Bees are beneficial, for they help the pollination 
of blossoms. 

Frost injury : A heavy frost when the vines are 
in blossom is often a serious thing to the grower. 
Smudge fires— and the resulting smoke may save a 
berry patch. Some growers mix coal-tar with saw- 
dust and old straw, and put the mixture in heaps 
around the patch, in readiness for an emergency. 
Other growers burn crude oil in iron pots sold for 
that purpose. Sprinkling or irrigating a patch when 
frost threatens, will sometimes save it. Or it may 
be saved by forking the straw mulch from the aisles 
over on to the vines, —leaving it there for a few hours 
or a day or two. 

Varieties, — Some growers make no distinction 
between the varieties intended for market purposes 
and those for the family to use ; nevertheless, I 
believe that different sorts for each purpose might 
advantageously be selected, because it is not always 
the sweetest berry that will yield the greatest number 
of quarts, nor carry to market in the most salable 
condition. On the other hand, the variety that is 
most desirable for the family to feast on may be a 
light yielder, and perhaps of poor color and soft in 
texture. Buyers in the towns are attracted by size, 
color and freshness, and are not very particular about 
the flavor; while for the folks at home nothing is too 
good for them. A large number of varieties that 
have high merit as home fruit will not carry to 



64 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

market in good order, and should not be placed in 
the market list. However, there are some varieties 
which are well suited for both home and market. 

"The strawberry plant," says a veteran grower, 
"indicates by its leaf what is the shade of color, size, 
shape and quality of the berry. The lighter the color of 
the leaf, the lighter you will find the color of the berry; 
the darker the leaf, the darker the berry. The leaf 
also indicates the size of the berry. An irregular 
berry is indicated by an irregular leaf, a round berry 
by a round leaf, a long berry by a long leaf. Leaves 
on the same plant will vary considerably, no two 
are alike, but their general form will be the sariie. 
Also the relative productiveness of different varieties 
of strawberries can be told by the number of serra- 
tures, or saw teeth, on the leaf. The greater the 
number of serratures the greater the number of berries 
that will be produced on an individual plant." 

Do varieties " run out " ? For my own part I do 
not believe that varieties will run out if proper 
intelligence is given to their propagation by runners 
and to their after culture. Carelessness and igno- 
rance on the part of the growers, and enterprise in 
those who have made it their duty to introduce new 
varieties, are the main causes of strawberry deteriora- 
tion ; or, they run out because plant nurserymen 
cease to sell them, and because improvement is the 
order of the day, and new and better kinds are 
discovered or propagated. One of the greatest 
errors made by strawberry growers is the discarding 
of valuable kinds before they give them a fair trial 
and learn just what treatment is best for them, to 



THE STRAWBERRY 



65 



take up with some new and costly variety, which, in 
due time, will go out in the same manner, perhaps 
being inferior in every way to the old sorts. In this 
way many have already discarded that wonderful 
berry, the Gandy, which succeeds admiralDly where 
brains are applied to its culture, and the required 
conditions of a crop are complied with. 





. 




I^^l 




1 


•C-r^ -^ --:^^^ ■ 


1 


~^l !, 1 ! 1 _--- _^^ 




fc^r^ ^--rii^i 



HOW DO YOU LIKE THESE? ONLY TWELVE IN A QUART BOX 

Breeding up varieties ; Plants, like animals, 
may be bred up to a higher efficiency by a careful 
and systematic selection of parents. By always 
taking for setting purposes the best and strongest 
plants, you can in a few years improve the general 
vigor of almost any variety. The same thing is done 
with corn, or potatoes, or other things. 

Producing new kinds ; As a rule, new varieties 
are accidents or "sports" found among seedling 



66 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

plants. A few enthusiastic horticulturists grow 
experimental beds of plants from strawberry seeds 
each year, hoping to find a seedling which has 
superior merit. Generally their hopes are not 
rewarded, for most seedlings are inferior to their 
parents ; but, once in a great while, a lucky find is 
made and a new variety appears on the market. 
Expert horticulturists sometimes succeed in producing 
new kinds of more or less merit, by artificially cross- 
fertilizing the blossoms of two selected varieties 
of opposite sex kept by themselves (using a camel' s- 
hair brush to transfer the pollen), and later planting 
the resulting seeds from the female or pistillate 
variety and choosing the most promising plants 
therefrom. Seeds should be thoroughly dried and 
cured, and may be planted in the fall. 

"What variety shall I plant?" Hundreds of 
growers ask this question every year, and, unfortu- 
nately, no correct general answer is possible ; for 
each locality, soil or climate is a law unto itself. A 
variety which does well in one place, may not do so 
well in another ; and, also, some localities and 
markets prefer certain kinds of berries. Therefore, 
to answer the foregoing question in the most helpful 
manner, I have written to strawberry growers in 
various states and asked them to give a brief list of 
the best kinds for general use in their locality. Their 
answers follow, arranged by states, and with a star in 
front of such varieties as are considered by the 
writers as being especially suitable for strictly market 
or shipping purposes ; " P " means pistillate, and 
" S " staminate : 



PLATE VIII 




ROUGH RIDER 




PRESIDENT 



THE STRAWBERRY 67 

Arkansas : The following varieties of strawberries are 
commonly planted in this section : "-■'•Aroma (S), * Haverland 
(P), Michel's Early (S), * William Belt (S), Crescent (P), 
Klondike (S), "*' Texas (S), Jessie (S), Lady Thompson (S). 
These do well here, but occasionally the fruit is killed by the late 
frosts. It seems that the late varieties are here as liable to 
this as the early ones. Last season we had a killing frost on 
the ist of May which almost entirely destroyed late varieties. 
Michel's Early always has some berries. The period of 
blooming is more extended than most varieties. Texas is also 
an early berry that is given to this, and it bore two crops here 
two years ago. However, the same season we also had an 
early and a partial late crop of Michel's Early. Aroma is my 
favorite late berry ; being very firm it is an excellent shipper; 
and the berries of the last picking are often as nice as the first. 
Klondike and Texas have quite a name here ; many are 
setting these varieties and doing away with Michel's Early 
and other smaller-sized berries. — E. H. HALL. 

California : Brandywine (S) and Arizona Ever-bearing (S), 
are mentioned favorably in a list sent in by E. J. WiCK.SON. 

Florida: The best are -'• Excelsior (S) and "■■•Lady 
Thompson (S). They bear fruit four to six months. — 
Reasoner Bros. 

Iowa: *Gandy (S), Haverland (P), •■•Senator Dunlap 
(S), "^Warfield (P), Parker Earle (S), Bederwood (S), 
* Crescent (P). — George W. Stephens. 

Kentucky: Warfield (P), Bubach (P), Brandywine (S), 
*Gandy (S), * Aroma (S).— Thomas G. Fulkerson. 

Maryland : "* Bubach ( P), Brandywine (S), "»Gandy (S), 
«Warfield (P).— Roy Bobet. 

Michigan: "* Pride of Michigan (S), "^-Senator Dunlap 
(S), "* Warfield (P), * Brandywine (S), "=» Haverland (P), 
"* Sample (P), Climax (S), Enormous (P), Texas (S), 
Michel's Early (S). The last four varieties mentioned are 
early kinds and are not so popular as the six later kinds first 
given, owing to the fact that in northern sections late spring 
frosts are liable to affect early blossoms. In localities farther 
south the demand for the early varieties would doubtless rise 
above the most popular of the medium and late varieties. — 

W. H. BURKE. 



68 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Minnesota: The two leading varieties here are * War- 
field (P) and -Senator Dunlap (S). Other kinds do well 
but are not so prolific. — E. D. FlSKE. 

Missouri : I have grown thirty-three different varieties of 
strawberries in the last ten years for market, and this is my 
latest list: * Michel's Early (S) and * Excelsior (S) for early; 
'^ Warfield (P), •■■Senator Dunlap (S) and * Crescent (P) for 
medium; * Aroma (S) and *' Gandy (S) for late. — A. L. Smith. 

New York (Long Island): We are now in the midst of 
a big number of tests. So far * Wm. Belt (S) seems to be far 
and away ahead of everything else. A close second is the 
•'■Pride of Michigan (S). "•'■Marshall (S) does exceedingly 
well with us, and is the most popular with the commercial 
grower. The high-class trade that seeks Long Island pro- 
ducts does not care for Bubach (P) or Gandy (S). Nick 
Ohmer (S) is grown to a large extent and is a good one. 
Sharpless yields big and fine-looking hollow mockeries. It is 
down and out practically all over the Island. Aroma (S) has 
been but little experimented with, but promises well, and 
seems to be destined to be a favorite. Bederwood (S), like 
most early fellows, is hardly worth while here. We find 
that the so-called mid-season berries come in so close to the 
extra-early of other territories that I don't think any of the 
extra-early poor-quality berries will ever get much of a 
hold with us.— H. B. FULLERTON. 

North Carolina: Bubach (P), Climax (S), Excelsior (S), 
Gandy (S), L-ady Thompson (S), Nick Ohmer (S). — 
W. N. HUTT. 

Pennsylvania : Farm Journal's favorite list for this state 
is as follows : * President (P). * Wm. Belt (S), •'•Gandy (S), 
* Sample (P), * Nick Ohmer (S), * Haverland (P). 

Texas: ^Excelsior (S), •'•Klondike (S), * Lady 
Thompson (S), Aroma (S). These varieties ripen in the order 
given. Generally speakmg, this country requires varieties of 
berries that can stand extreme drought and sudden changes 
of temperature.— -J. E. FITZGERALD. 

Wisconsin: •'•Warfield (P), * Senator Dunlap (S), 
*Gandy (S), •'• Sample (P), Haverland (P), Bederwood (S). 
—J. L. Herbst. 

Other varieties : Besides the well-known kinds mentioned 



THE STRAWBERRY 



69 



bv the foregoing list of correspondents, there are some others 
S^ are\forthy of mention here. Among these are the 
r n „. rivdP fS^ Lovett (S), Tennessee Prohfic (S), 

RldTe^fy (sT.^Grel'Lr"; (S), r^e'w VorU (S), Rough Rider 
(S^ Chesaoeake (S), Gov. Fort (S). 

^^'•Sd 'of ripening: A well-lcnown Mich.gan grower 
furnishes the followuig list, er.brac.itg nearly all of the 
Standard kinds : 



EXTRA EARLY 

Excelsior (S) 
CUmax (S) 
Michel's Early (S) 
Texas (S) 



EARLY 
Bederwood (S) 
Clyde (S) 
Lovett vS) 

Tennessee Prolific (S) 
Crescent (P) 
Warfield(P) 

LATE 

Aroma (S) 

Pride of Michigan (S) 
Brandywine (S) 
Gandy (S) 
Marshall (S) 
Parker Earle (S) 
Rough Rider (S) 
Bubach (P) 
Sample (P) 



MEDIUM 

Lady Thompson (S) 

Ridgeway (S) 

Glen Mary (S) 

Wm. Belt (S) 

Klondike (S) 

Nick Ohmer (S) 

New York (S) 

Senator Dunlap (S) 

Haverland (P) 

Enormous (P) 

President ( P) 

Fall-bearing varieties : Several kinds of strawberries have 
shown an abUity to bear fruit in the late summer or fall months. 
Pan American (S) and Autumn (P) are the best known 
of "he^ kinds. If a berry grower will plant these varieties 
e ve them the same culture as other kinds, and then keep off 
!n blosroms until about August ist or even later^ he may 
hope to obtain a satisfactory crop of fall berries. Permit me 
to say, however, that Pan-American makes very ^^w runners 
and therefore the supply of this variety -J^^^ and rather 
hi-h-priced. Autumn is a better plant maker, but being a new 



70 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

variety, the plants are expensive* Owing to the flood of 
other fruits in the fall, I am inclined to doubt, from a market 
standpoint, the desirability of many fall-grown strawberries. 
In a small way, or as a curiosity, they are all right. Some 
growers propagate Pan-American plants by division of the 
crowns in early spring, and in this way partially make up for 
the lack of runners. Americus and Francis are in the class of 
promising new fall-bearing varieties. 

Ever-bearing strawberries : The foregoing varieties pro- 
duce berries from June until frost, with perhaps a pause now 
and then. The late crop, however, is apt to be smaller than 
the early crop, hence the advisability of keeping off all early 
blossoms if you want a good fall crop. 

New varieties: The old proverb says, "Try all things 
and hold fast to tl.at which is good." And the idea is sound. 
But you should not waste much money or space or time on the 
"trying " — let the State Experiment Stations do that, and then 
you read their reports. It is all right for the average 
strawberry grower to try a. few novelties each year, but for 
the main crop he should bear down hard on standard, time- 
tested kinds. There is great activity among berrymen to 
originate and introduce new seedlings, and I am glad that it 
is so, for this is a worthy work and must result in great good. 
If they will but give us one variety of merit annually, their 
enterprise will be justified and they will deserve the thanks of 
their generation, so I wish them abundant success in their 
endeavor. In this book, however, I have not attempted to 
list the many newer varieties which have very lately come 
upon the market. A few of them, doubtless, have merit, and 
in time they may perhaps replace some of the kinds that are 
now considered standards — ^just as the old Wilson aud Sharp- 
less have been replaced by later introductions. 

" Freaks " : I call a " white strawberry " a freak — don't 
you ? And who wants freaks, anyhow? Also a " white black- 
berry " is a freak. 1 object to such reversals of nature's 
colors, just as I would object to pink bluebirds or black snow. 
Such things can serve no useful purpose. 



PLATE IX. 




CUTHBERT 




## 



LOUDON 





MILLER 



Chapter VII 



t I 



THE RASPBERRY 



Thorns are Dame Nature' s needles, and raspberries are her 
thimbles. — Dorothy Tucker. 

Having devoted a fair portion of this book to the 
strawberry, I now come to the other small fruits, — 
fruits of great economic importance, for, with the 
strawberry, they form an unbroken succession of 
highly palatable and wholesome food during the 
entire summer, and are quick sellers in the markets. 

Referring to my garden diaries of past years I 
find that the strawberry season, in my individual 
case, extends from May 26 to July 3, the raspberry 
season from June 27 to July 21, the dewberry season 
from July 4 to July 20, the blackberry season from 
July 16 to August 22, and that I cut grapes for 
market sometimes as early as August 20. This 
shows how one fruit overlaps the season of its 
successor. 

These dates are not extreme, even for my own 
neighborhood, for somebody with especially favored 
location is sure to have berries sooner or later than I 
can produce them. One neighbor, for instance, has 
strawberries a week after mine are done bearing, on 
account of his situation on a northward-sloping hill- 
side. The quoted dates are merely suggestive. 

The raspberry occupies an important place in the 
succession of small fruits, and there would be a 

(71) 



72 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

serious break without it. Its culture is easy. It is a 
sure cropper under good treatment, excellent as a 
table fruit after strawberries are gone, and sells well 
in the markets. 

Soil. — In setting out a raspberry patch it is well 
to select a deep, loamy, well-drained soil, and to en- 
rich it properly. Blackcaps require richer, heavier 
soil than red varieties. Too much stable manure 
causes the reds to go " too much to canes. ' ' 

Propagation. — To get a start, buy plants of 
a nurseryman ; or propagate from an old patch as 
follows : New plants of the red raspberry may be 

obtained by dig- 
*^ ^^ ^'^''^\ - ging the larger vig- 

^' / ,iir -*«» '^ orous roots and 

*^4<^-J*^" ^•I'^'^'f^ "^ I . cutting in pieces 

two or three inches 
in length, accor- 
ding to their size; 
the smaller the root 

CUTHBERTS ARE POPULAR EVERYWHERE ^^ ^ ■. , ^ ^ 

the longer it should 
be cut. Cut the roots in the fall and store in boxes 
of sand placed in a dry, cool cellar until spring. 
As soon as the ground can be properly prepared, 
scatter the root pieces thinly in furrows and cover 
with two inches of light, loamy soil. Choose a moist, 
partially-shaded situation, keep clean and free from 
weeds, and by fall you will have a good supply of 
strong, healthy plants for early spring setting (for 
the North I favor spring setting). An easier way is 
to dig suckers or sprouts that come up along or 
between the rows, being sure to secure with each 




THE RASPBERRY 



73 



sprout a short portion of the cross root from which it 
grew ; dig and set these in permanent rows in the 
early spring. Much of this digging, however, hurts 
a patch. 

Blackcap raspberries do not sucker from the roots 
and are propagated differently. Toward autumn 
when blackcap tips bend down near the ground, new 
plants can be easily started. Bend down and bury 
each tip a few inches beneath the ground, holding it 
in place by pegs, a stone, or the weight of a little 
heaped-up soil. Most of the tips, if not disturbed, 
will take root and form nice plants by next spring ; at 
which time the parent canes can be severed a few 
inches from the new plants, and the latter can then 
be dug up and set out wherever desired. 

Planting. — Red raspberry rows for horse culti- 
vation are usually made about six feet apart, plants 
spaced about two feet apart in the row (3,630 to the 
acre). The plants sucker and run together in the 
row in a year or two, until 
there is a continuous hedge- 
row about a foot wide; plants 
which come up outside of this, 
or feeble or surplus plants, 
should be treated like weeds. 
For small garden or hoe culti- 
vation the rows might be a 
little closer together— say five 
feet. 

Blackcaps for horse culti- 
«r».T^, ,^0 vation may be set in six-foot 

PLANTING RED RASPBERRIES ^ 

ROWS ABOUT SIX FEET APART rows, about two and one-half 




'^: 



74 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



feet apart between plants. Or they may be set 5x5, 
and cultivated both ways if the rows are straight in 
each direction (1,742 plants to the acre). As black- 
caps do not sucker, the hills will "stay put." 

As to the depth to set raspberry plants, 1 shall 
simply say : Set them 
only a trifle deeper 
than they were before 
digging. 

Cultivation. — This 
should begin in early 
spring and continue, 
say at ten-day intervals, 
until about the ist of 
August, when all culti- 
vation should cease so 
as to allow the canes 
to stop growing and 
harden up for the win- 
ter. Later cultivation 
would mean later 
growth, more tender 
canes, and greater like- 
lihood of winter-killing. 
A mulch at fruiting 
time is sometimes help- 
ful and practicable in a small patch, 

A cover crop is sometimes sown at the last culti- 
vation, for turning under in early spring. This is 
often a good idea. Crimson clover, winter vetch, 
rye, oats, etc , are used for this purpose. 

Do not plow the ground, after the raspberry 



r^w^ 










^-::-V -T ' - 


• 



HOE AND CULTIVATE RASPBERRIES 
UNTIL AUGUST 



THE RASPBERRY 75 

plants are set, deeper than three inches ; cultivate 
about two inches deep ; hand-hoe between plants 
where the cultivator can not go. 

Do not let plants produce fruit the first season ; a 
small crop may be expected the following year ; a 
full crop the third year. 

Mulching. — A grower in New York state has 
this to say on this subject: "I wish to call your 
attention to the advantages of a system of mulch 
treatment over that of cultivation in the care of rasp- 
berries, etc. For many years I have depended on 
heavy mulch alone, applying coarse, strawy manure, 
refuse from the lawn and garden, etc., for that pur- 
pose, to a depth sufficient to keep down growth of 
grass and weeds around the bushes, and with the 
most satisfactory results. The yield and size of fruit are 
increased, especially in a dry season, and the length 
of profitable, bearing age is also considerably extended 
by this method. I have had individual plants 
continue to produce heavy crops of fruit for ten or 
more consecutive years when thus treated. Try it 
and be convinced of its merits." 

Remarks : This mulch method may be satis- 
factory in some cases, but in most cases I believe 
that cultivation is better than mulching. Constant 
mulching means a harboring place for insects and 
fungi. A mulch at fruiting time, however, is an 
excellent thing in combination with early cultivation. 

Pruning. —The first year, none. After that, cut 
out, close to the ground, all old canes each summer 
as soon as they have fruited. At the same time cut 
out surplus canes, when the rows or hills get too 



76 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

thick, and diseased or feeble canes. Remove and 
burn the cuttings, promptly. Don't let the rows get 
too wide or too thick, but be sure to leave enough Vi^w 
shoots for next year's fruiting. In the early spring 
go through the patch again ; cut out all broken 
or winter-killed canes or branches, shorten remaining 
canes to four or five feet, and cut off at least a third 
of the tips of long side-shoots. (Note : In the North 
this secondary pruning should not be done in the fall 
or winter.) Rake up and burn all brush. The best 
_ >^^ pruning tools to 

"\:^ use are a long- 
handled hook 
(Fig. i) with which to cut off canes close to the 
ground, and a pair of ordinary pruning shears (Fig. 2) 
for work higher up. 

There is another pruning detail which is practised 
by some growers, called summer pruning or pinching. 

This consists of pinching off the tip ends of all new 
canes when they are not more than two feet high — 
the idea being to make the canes stocky and more 
self-supporting, with low side- 
branches. This method has 
advantages and disadvantages; 
some growers favor it, while fig. 2 

many others condemn it and say that it often causes 
too much late, tender growth that winter-kills in the 
North. It seems to work better with blackcaps and 
blackberries, than with red raspberries. 

If the canes are properly pruned, no supports 
should be needed ; although in small gardens it is 
quite common to string stout wires along the rows. 




PLATE X 





GRKGG 





CONKA-TH 



THE RASPBERRY 



n 




from end posts, either using double wires or tying 
the canes to a single wire. 

Insects and Diseases. — Cane-borers, gall- 
beetles, tree crickets and similar insects that infest 
raspberry canes are 
difficult to combat with 
sprays ; however, the 
prompt cutting out and 
burning of old, dead 
and infested canes wil 
usually keep these 
enemies in check. A 
little worm, the larvae 
of a black saw-fly, 
sometimes feeds upon 
the leaves; hellebore or 
arsenate of lead sprays 
will kill it. Anthracnose (purplish or scabby patches 
on the canes) is a fungous trouble ; spray with the 
Bordeaux mixture and promptly destroy canes after 
fruiting. Red rust (powdery, orange-red places on 
leaves, etc.) is a very common trouble ; dig out in- 
fested plants — root and branch — whenever seen, and 
burn ; be careful not to scatter the dust on healthy 
bushes ; early sprayings with Bordeaux may help a 
little. 

After-Care. — Annually the ground should be fer- 
tilized with well-rotted stable manure, applied along 
the rows, supplemented with a generous application of 
ground bone and wood ashes or ground bone and 
muriate of potash. The ground bone may be as 
much as 600 pounds to the acre, and the muriate of 



THESE RASPBERRY CANES WERE 

PRUNED RIGHT AND NEED 

NO SUPPORTS 



78 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

potash 200 pounds to the acre, in addition to the 
stable manure. To fail in the matter of fertilizing 
raspberries is to bid for small sized fruit. Plow the 
patch each year as soon as the ground is workable in 
the spring, and cultivate or mulch it until August. 

It is imperative that raspberry patches be moved 
every four or five years, for best yields. Eradicate 
the old patch and put the ground into some other crop 
for several years. 

Winter protection : In very cold cHmates, and 
especially in the case of some varieties which are 
more or less tender, it is sometimes advisable to 
protect the canes during the winter. This is usually 
done by bending them down along the row and 
covering them with soil. Remove the covering and 
straighten the canes in early spring before growth 
starts. 

Yield. — In reply to the question, "What do you 
consider a fair average yield per acre?" I have 
figures from fifty-eight growers, says F. W. Card. 
Computing the average from all these repHes, as 
accurately as possible, I have for the answer 2,493 
quarts, or nearly seventy- eight bushels per acre. 
The majority gave the number of quarts or bushels 
which they considered an average; others placed their 
answer in the form of ' ' from seventy-five to 1 00 
bushels, ' ' and two gave what they considered high 
or maximum yields, making it a little more difficult 
to get the exact average. The lowest estimate given 
as an average yield was at the rate of 576 quarts; 
the highest, 9,600 quarts. I judge that neither 
of these two are extensive commercial growers. 



THE RASPBERRY 79 

Varieties. — There are three types of raspberries 
— red, black and purple. The yellow forms belong 
with the reds, and have been derived from them. 
The reds have a wider range of soil and climate 
than the blacks. The blackcaps are now largely 
grown for canning and evaporating. For table use 
the reds are in most demand. The following sugges- 
tions about the most popular varieties in different 
states, have been sent to me by various correspon- 
dents. Stars designate the kinds most preferred 
by market growers. "R" means red, "B" means 
blackcap. 

Arkansas: The Kansas (B) does well on well-drained 
soils. The Turner (R) does well on my land, and brings a 
fancy price, but as the berries are very soft it is difficult to get 
them shipped in good shape. — E. H. Halk. 

California : Cuthbert (R) is the most popular variety, 
says E. J. WlCKSON. 

Florida : Raspberries do not do well in Florida, writes a 
Southern correspondent. 

Iowa: *Cumberland (B), *Gregg (B), Kansas (B), 
*Cuthbert (R), * Loudon (R).— List furnished by Geo. W. 
Stephens. 

Kentucky: Cuthbert (R) is the only variety recommended 
by Thomas G. Fulkerson. 

Maryland: Cumberland (B), Kansas (B), * Gregg (B), 
* Cuthbert (R).— List sent in by RoY BoBET. 

Michigan: * Cuthbert (R), * Gregg (B), Cumberland 
(B) and Ohio (B).— W. H. Burke's list. 

Minnesota : King (R) and Loudon (R) are E. D. 
Fiske's favorites. 

Missouri : I grow only blackcap raspberries — Kansas and 
Gregg— .A. L. Smith. 



8o HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

New York (Long Island): Of the black raspberries we 
find two varieties which stand so far ahead of all others under 
our climatic conditions that we recommend nothing else. The 
leader is Cumberland, and a close second is Munger. In flavor 
and size Cumberland easily leads. In yield Munger appears 
to beat the Cumberland, but it is only in appearance. The 
great size of the Cumberland easily makes up for the larger 
number of berries the Munger produces. In red raspberries 
we find Cuthbert leads all the rest.— F. B. FULLERTON. 

North Carolina: Eureka (B), Gregg (B), Kansas (B).— 
W. N. HUTT'S list. 

Pennsylvania: * Gregg (B) and * Cuthbert (R) seem to 
be the favorities in this state. 

Wisconsin : * Gregg (B), *King(R), Cuthbert ( R).— List 
furnished by J. L. Herbst. 

Yellow varieties: There is one yellow raspberry well worth 
raising, mainly because it sets off so beautifully a dish of either 
the black or the red varieties. This is the Golden Queen, 
which with us is the best; when thoroughly ripe it is exceeding- 
ly good in flavor, but is not quite so sweet as either the black 
or the red. — H. B. FULLERTON. (Note: This variety is 
propagated, pruned and grown in the same manner as the red 
raspberry. — J. B.) 

Purple varieties : Shaffer and Columbian are the two 
best-known kinds. 

Propagation and culture'the same as for blackcaps. Purple 
raspberries are not generally popular in market, owing to their 
unattractive color ; but they are sometimes planted for home 
use or canning. 

Other kinds : Besides the standard varieties already 
mentioned in this chapter, there are a host of others of different 
degrees of merit, among which are: Marlboro (R). Miller 
(R), Brandy wine (R), Conrath (B). 

I have not space to mention the many new kinds which 
have not yet been thoroughly tested. Doubtless some of them 
may some day be counted among the " standards." 



Chapter VIII 
THE BLACKBERRY 



There is no bush fruit which is capable of yielding' greater 
profit. — Vxoi. L. H. Bailey. 

While anybody may grow blackberries, nobody 
should do so who does not intend to take care of them, 
for a neglected blackberry patch is as much of a 
wilderness as a piece of wild thicket land. Besides, 
disease hostile to good berries lurks in decaying canes 
and dead leaves. The patch must be pruned, cleaned, 
cultivated, and kept in good order. 

The blackberry has a 
true place and a high place 
in the list of small fruits, for 
if picked only when fully ripe 
it is a grand table berry, and 
if grown properly the yield 
per acre may reach 250 to 
300 bushels, which means 
anywhere from $1 50 to ^300. 
An average yield of black- 
berries, however, is said to 
be 3,158 quarts, or about 
ninety-eight bushels. 

Blackberries are adaptable to many soils, but do 

best in a deep, mellow loam, abundantly supplied 

with humus. They will, however, thrive on soil that 

is too light, dry and poor for raspberries or straw- 

(81) 




ELDORADO BLACKBERRY 

(One-half size) 



82 



HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



berries; but they do not like "wet feet," and appre- 
ciate a fair amount of fertilizers. Too much stable 
manure (or nitrogen) is not advisable, as it tends to 
make too rank a growth of canes. A little nitrogen 
and considerable potash and bone meal make an ideal 
food supply for blackberries. 

Propagation. — The same as advised for red 
raspberries (see Chapter VII). 

Planting. — Blackberries for horse cultivation are 

usually set about eight feet apart in rows, plants 

^fi— . spaced about two feet apart in 

M '^ the row (2,722 to the acre). For 

W jgf f ^ jk small garden or hoe cultivation 

f >«#***%.^^^ the rows might be a little closer 

together. 

The plants, as do red rasp- 
berries, sucker and run together 
in the row in a year or two, 
until there is a continuous 
hedge-row about fifteen inches 
wide. Plants which come up 
outside of this should be de- 
stroyed with the hoe or culti- 
vator. 

Cultivation, Pruning, Diseases, Etc.— Read the 
directions for red raspberry culture given in the 
preceding chapter. Blackberry pests, culture, etc., 
are similar. 

Some blackberry growers stretch a wire along the 
row, about three feet from the ground, to which the 
canes are tied. Two wires may be used, one above 
the other (see Fig. i), the long canes being tied and 




DIGGING A BLACKBERRY 

PLANT FOR NEAR-BY 

SETTING 




THE BLACKBERRY 83 

treated like grape-vines. Or, the two wires may be 

placed side by side, say three feet above ground, and 

the canes required to stand 

between the wires. Large 

areas of canes are seldom 

supported in any way ; and, 

generally speaking, I do not fig. i 

think it is necessary in any case if the pruning is 

properly done. 

The blackberry patch should last for a score of 
years, and more trouble and expense are therefore 
warranted than in the case of a transient crop like 
strawberries. The end in view in blackberry culture 
is to keep the ground under good tillage ; to keep the 
rows clear of dead-wood and trash ; and to facilitate 
the gathering of the crop. The work of pinching back 
or nipping (see Chapter VII) the growing canes, if 
done at all, is more easily perfonned if the rows of 
canes are kept narrow and compact. 

It is essential to harden the young wood by ceas- 
ing culture in August. The cultivator should run 
frequently and regularly during the spring and early 
summer. 

In my latitude the last cultivation will occur about 
August 20th to 25th, after which no more encourage- 
jnent should be given the canes in the direction of 
growth. The entire autumn is thus given for matur- 
ing the wood made by the young canes, and my 
canes seldom suffer from winter kiUing. 

Hardy varieties are preferable to those which are 
tender ; but where the necessity for winter protection 
exists it is easy to remove the earth from one side of 



84 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



a bush or bunch of canes, force the canes over into a 
recHning position, and cover them with soil. Where 

this is done the canes 
must be Hberated in 
early spring, as soon as 
danger of severe freez- 
ing is over. 

As to growing sup- 
plementary or what are 
called hoed crops in 
young plantations of 
raspberries and black- 
berries, the question is 
one for the individual 
operator to decide. It 
will perhaps do no harm 
to put in a row of some- 
thing in the middle of 
the space between the 
rows of berries, but this 
cropping should be 
done only the y^r.?/ year, 
after which time the canes and their roots should 
have all the space in the rows and aisles. 

Estimate of Expense. — In a cold climate where 
canes must be protected in winter, the following 
estimate for one acre of blackberries was made after 
many years' experience on the ' 'Thayer Fruit Farms' ' 
and indicates methods adopted in Wisconsin : 




SPRING PKIMNG SHOULD BE DONE 

BEFORE LEAVES ARE FULLY OUT. 

THIS MAN IS A LITTLE LATE. 



THE BLACKBERRY 85 

Plowing land $ i-50 

Harrowing, 4 times 2.00 

Marking and laying out i.oo 

Plants 30.00 

Setting plants 5.00 

Cultivating, 15 times 7.50 

Hoeing, 3 times . 3.75 

Manure, 20 loads for mulching 15.00 

Covering plants, for winter 2.50 

Total expense, first year ^68.25 

Removing covering 2.50 

Cultivating, 15 times 7.50 

Hoeing, 3 times 3.75 

Plants, and resetting missing hills 8.75 

Nipping and pruning 2.50 

Mulching and manure 25.00 

Posts for support, 62 4.00 

Stakes for support of vines, 300 6.00 

Wires for support, 300 pounds No. 12 . . 9.00 

Labor on support 3.75 

Laying and covering for winter 5.00 

Use of tools 4.00 

Total expense for two years ^150.00 

Varieties. — The following kinds are favorably 
mentioned by correspondents in different states. 
A star means "specially adapted for market pur- 
poses ' ' : 

California : Crandall, Lawton, Kittatinny, Himalayan 
— E. J. WlCKSON'S list. 

Indiana: In 1883 we planted one-third of an acre in three 
varieties, — Early Harvest, Ancient Briton and CoUins. The 
ground was v/ell cultivated for several years. After plants 
were well established, all that was done was to remove all old 
wood and rubbish and occasionally mulch the ground. From 
1887 till now this patch has given greater net returns than any 
fruit ground we have. In 1907 this twenty-four-year-old patch 
out-yielded all preceding years to so great an extent as to 



86 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

border on the wonderful. We picked the first berries from 
the Early Harvest rows on July 9th and continued daily 
pickings until September ist, a period of fifty-four days. On 
September ist we gathered a few quarts of Early Harvest, 
making this variety king of bearers over all other varieties on 
our place. The yield of this one-third of an acre was 1,327 
quarts that season. 

Total receipts $128.20 

Commission 12.80 

$115.40 

Paid pickers 17 75 

Net receipts $97-65 

The season was unusually moist, which kept up the vigor 
of the plants to the last. At this ratio an acre would net about 
$290. The next season (1908) was unusually dry, and so the 
returns were very much reduced, being only $45; crop less, 
but prices better.— J. H. Haynes. 

Iowa : George W. Stephens recommends just two 
kinds — * Snyder and * Ancient Briton. 

Kentucky: Thos. G. Fulkerson mentions only one 
kind — Early Harvest. 

Maryland: '■■Illinois, Early Harvest and Snyder is the 
list favored by ROY Bobet. 

Michigan: Snyder, Erie and Rathbun, says W. H. 
Burke. 

Minnesota: Ancient Briton and Snyder are the favorite 
team of E.'D. FiSKE. 

Missouri: I can sell in my home market more Early 
Harvest than all the other varieties combined. Kittatinny 
is a good berry if you are willing to fight the rust. — A. L. 
Smith. 

New York (Long Island): Eldorado, Rathbun and the 
old Lawton are "nip and tuck." — H. B. Fullerton. 

Ohio: Eldorado and Erie. 

Texas: * McDonald, * Dallas, Early Harvest, Lawton, 
Kittatinny, Snyder. These are given in the order of ripening. 
—J. E. Fitzgerald. 

Wisconsin : "•'•Ancient Briton and * Eldorado. — J. L. H. 



Chapter IX 



THE DEWBERRY 



Too rambling to suit me, but a splendid berry . — Tim. 



The dewberry is distinguished from the black- 
berry chiefly by its traihng habit, says J. Troop, of 
Indiana, and its method ofpropagatingby tips instead 
of suckers. It is found growing wild in many parts 
of the country in woods and lields that have been 
more or less neglected. 
The fruit, however, of 
these wild forms is gen- 
erally too small and too 
poor in quality to make 
it at all desirable for 
cultivation. 

The dewberry's 
chief value lies in its 
season of ripening, 
which is just between 
raspberries and black- 
berries. 

Cultivation. — Dew- 
berries are cultivated 
about the same as 
blackberries, except in 
the matter of training the vines. On good moist soil 
the canes will often make a growth of ten feet or 
more in a single season. Even on poor, light soil, 
(S7) 




AFTER PLOWING AND HARROWINIi 
USE THE HOE 



88 



BIGGLE 13ERRY BOOK 



dewberries grow remarkably well. The canes may 
be trained to stakes or wire trellises ; or they may be 
heavily mulched with clean straw, in order to protect 
the fruit, and allowed to run at will. The latter 
method will require much more room, and is not so 
satisfactory as tying to stakes, when it comes to pick- 
* ^ ing the fruit. The old fruiting 

canes will need to be cut out 
each season, and the young 
ones cut back quite severely 
in order to get the best 
results. 

Allow only four or five 
canes to grow in each hill. 
For the home garden, a 
dozen plants should furnish 
all the fruit an average 
family will require. 

A Maryland grower cul- 
tivates forty acres of this 
fruit, and one year sent 45,000 quarts to market. 
He began picking June 20th and ceased July 12th, 
covering a period of more than three weeks, and 
reaching the market well in advance of the main crop 
of blackberries ; and he profited accordingly. He 
feeds his land well, and puts it in good mechanical 
condition. He sets the young plants (rooted tips, 
obtained in the same way as blackcap raspberry 
plants) three feet apart in rows six feet apart. This 
requires 2,420 plants to the acre. The vines are not 
tied up the first year, but are simply kept well cul- 




TYING UP DEWBEKKIES- 
VINE TO A STAKE 




THE DEWBERRY 89 

tivated and allowed to run. Early the following 
spring stout stakes are driven along the rows in such 
a manner that two plants may be tied to each stake; 
that is, there are just half as many stakes as plants, 
the stake standing midway between two plants. The 
stakes are about three feet high, after being driven 
into their places, and the vines are stretched straight 
and tied only to the top of the stake. Each pair of 
vines occupies an 
A-shaped position 
(see photo-engrav- 
ing). This is the 
bearing wood of 
the year. The new 

grOWtxl 01 tne sea- a Maryland method of training 

son is allowed to dewberries 

scramble upon the ground in its own natural way. 
When the crop is off, soon after the middle of July, 
the old wood is removed, and the strength of the 
vines thrown into the new growth. The patch is cul- 
tivated and cleared of weeds, and made ready for a 
repetition of operations the following season. 

I have measured dewberries that were nearly one 
and one-half inches long. The vines are very 
thorny, and he w^ho works among them should pro- 
tect his hands with leather gloves. 

Yield. — A dewberry plantation will last a good 
many years, and does not reach its best production 
until three or four years old. The yield varies greatly 
from year to year and in different localities. From 
forty to sixty bushels per acre is perhaps a fair 
average. Sometimes the blossoms fail to set fruit 



90 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



satisfactorily, which failure is probably caused by 
lack of proper pollination ; this may be overcome 
by planting several varieties together in alternate 
rows. 

Winter Protection. — In the North, where the 
winters are severe, the vines should be laid down in 

the late fall and 
covered with earth 
until early spring. 
Insects and 
Diseases. — See 
Raspberry and 
Blackberry. 

Varieties. — 
Lucretia is the kind 
which seems to be 
best liked nearly 
everywhere. Cor- 
respondents in a number of states speak favorably of 
it. Austin is another good variety, which originated 
in Texas and is largely grown there ; it does well in 
Maryland and elsewhere. 




DEWBERRY PICKERS SHOULD PROTECT 

THEIR HANDS WITH FINGERLESS 

LEATHER GLOVES 



PLATE XII. 




FAY 




RED DUTCH 



Chapter X 



CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES 



Give them Just twice as much ?nanure as you think they need. 

Currants and gooseberries thrive under a wide 
range of conditions, but do best when planted in deep, 
moist, cool soil. Clay soil, with good drainage, well 
enriched, suits them almost perfectly. It is a good 
plan to mulch around the bushes with straw or with 
green clover cut in full blossom, through the heat 
of summer. 

Some growers shade their bushes by alternate rows 
of grape-vines and some by means of fruit trees, for 
these bushes seem to like partial shade. On large, 
commercial plantations in the North, however, no 
attempt is made to supply shade. Shade is more 
necessary south of the Ohio and Potomac rivers than 
in more northern latitudes. 

Do not stint the manure. These fruits require 
extra-heavy manuring in order to grow berries that 
will command the best price. Not only should the 
soil be in excellent tilth at the time of planting, but 
it should be top-dressed yearly every autumn or early 
winter with pig or cow manure ; also, bone meal and 
potash should be applied occasionally. There are no 
fruits that will respond more quickly to good treat- 
ment than currants and gooseberries. 

Plants and Planting. — The easiest way to get a 
start is to buy plants of a nurseryman and set them 

(91) 



92 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



either in the early spring or in the fall, preferably the 
former, unless you are willing to mulch them well 
through the winter. Or you can grow your own 
plants for setting, as follows : 

Soon after the leaves fall in autumn, currant and 
gooseberry (or grape) cuttings may best be made. 

Use this season's new 
wood - growth ; cut into 
lengths about eight 
inches long, tie into bun- 
dles, and bury in not too 
wet sand in the cellar, for 
spring planting. Or if 
you will mulch them well 
through the winter, they 
may be set at once in the 
fall. Set them slightly 
leaning, top end up, 
about five inches apart, 
deeply, in rows, each cut- 
ting having at least one 
bud above and one below 
ground ; cultivate them as you would any other crop, 
and they should be ready to transplant to their per- 
manent place the following fall or spring. The soil 
should be well firmed around the cuttings, and a little 
shade and an occasional watering may not be amiss 
while they are striking root. 

Most growers make the permanent rows 5x5 feet 
and cultivate both ways ; but in a small garden the 
bushes might be spaced about four feet apart in five- 
foot rows. A well-cared-for plantation should last a 
lone time. 




SHALLOW CULTIVATION IS BEST 
FOR THESE BERRIES 



CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES 



93 



Cultivation. — The roots run close to the surface, 
so beware of cultivating deeply ; but regular, light 
stirrings of the soil until August are beneficial. Some 
growers cultivate the ground several times in the 
spring and early summer, and then mulch the surface 
during the balance of the year ; this is a good hint for 
the small gardener. 

Pruning and Pests. — These fruits are usually 
grown and trained in bush form, and shoots from the 
base are utilized to renew the top gradually. Pruning 
consists of cutting out weak or superfluous new shoots, 
and old ones which have outHved their usefulness or 
which have become diseased or infested with borers. 
But never cut out 
too many old stalks 
at once, for the 
bulk of the fruit is 
produced on such 
wood. Stalks may 
be left until about 
three years old — 
which is often the 
limit of their useful- 
ness. All shoots, 
old or new, may be 
cut back, as de- 
sired, to make the 
bushes more com- 
pact and symmetri- 
cal, and the fruit 
larger. In other 
words, thin out. cut 




PULL WEEDS BY HAND THAT CAN T BI 
REACHED WITH THE HOE 



94 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



back, and gradually replace the older stalks with 
younger ones. Burn all clippings promptly, for thus 

the borer is kept 
down. The princi- 
pal other enemy is 
the currant- worm, 
which attacks the 
leaves of both cur- 
rant and gooseber- 
ry in early spring. 
Remedy : Spray 
the bushes with the 
hellebore mixture, 
but do it promptly 
when the first worm 
is seen ; watch the 
bushes closely 
shortly after the 
leaves unfold in 
the spring. Fun- 
gous blight troubles 
can be controlled 
with Bordeaux ; it is advisable to use this mixture on 
all plantations of currants where the foliage drops 
early. Sulphur for mildew is often used. 

In some locahties the currant-fly is troublesome. 
It deposits eggs in the berries and soon the currants 
are wormy. No good remedies are known. Preven- 
tive measures, however, are often helpful. These are : 
The prompt gathering and burning of infested fruit ; 
allowing chickens to run among the bushes. 

If lice attack the leaves, use one of the lice rem- 




CURRANT-WORMS DIDN T GET THIS PATCH 
— EARLY HELLEBORE SPRAYS KILLED THEM 



CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES 95 

edies given in Chapter III. For the San Jose scale 
use the lime-sulphur mixture. 

Yield and Profits. — The average yield of cur- 
rants has been put down at 2,000 quarts per acre, 
with yields reported as high as 7,500 quarts per acre. 
Net profits will depend on market prices and expenses, 
and both of these items are variable. A recent New 
Jersey bulletin intimates that about $150 per acre net 
profit may be expected. Of course it all depends 
upon circumstances, but I am sure that an energetic 
man near a good market can do well with currants, 
provided he does not undertake too large a patch. 
Many of our horticultural operations would be more 
successful with acreage divided by two. 

Gooseberries are sometimes a paying market crop, 
and sometimes they are not. Some years the mar- 
kets are fairly glutted with this fruit and prices drop 
woefully. "Go slow" on this crop until you feel 
your way and find out market conditions in your 
locahty ; some markets take gooseberries better than 
others do. 

Varieties. — Vic- 
toria, Cherry, Fay's 
Prohfic, Red Cross, etc. , 
are large-fruited popu- 
lar kinds of market 
currants nearly every- 
where. Red Dutch is 
the small, old-fashioned 
kind ; it is still much 
grown. White Dutch 

J ,,yi ., A QUART BOX OF HOUGHTONS 

and White grape are ready for market 




g6 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

good white varieties. Black Naples is esteemed for 
jellies, etc. 

Downing, Houghton, Columbus, Chautauqua, 
Pearl, etc., are well-known gooseberries suited to the 
American climate. Industry is a fine, large, European 
variety, very sweet ; but more subject to mildew than 
the other kinds. E. S. Holmes, New Jersey, says 
that the Houghton is the best gooseberry for market ; 
and reports from other states— as far west as Cali- 
fornia — seem to confirm this statement. 

A Florida correspondent writes that neither cur- 
rants nor gooseberries are grown there, as a warm 
cUmate is unsuited to these fruits. 



Chapter XI 



THE GRAPE 



Nothing great is produced suddenly, not even the grape. 

— Epictetus. 

To start a vineyard in the North, buy one-year- 
old vines of a nurseryman and set them in early 
spring ; or propagate them from cuttings as advised 
for currants. Vineyard rows should be about eight 
feet apart, plants spaced about eight feet in the rows. 
Any good, well-drained soil will do, but — com- 
mercially speaking — grapes do their best only in 
certain localities where temperature, chmate, water 
protection, etc., are entirely favorable. The Chau- 
tauqua "grape belt" in New York state is such a 
place. There are others. However, a few grapes 
for home use can be grown almost anywhere. On 
account of greater security against frost dangers, an 
elevated location's preferable to a low-lying place; so 
is a location which has a large 
body of water between it and 
the direction from where cold 
winds usually come. In very 
cold sections grapes do espe- 
cially well on the sunny side 
of a wall, fence or building. 
Pruning. — After planting, 
BE SURE TO REMOVE LABEL cut back the top to about three 

WIRES THAT MAY CHOKE , j , , , . 

VINES buds and let the vme grow as 

(97) 




98 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 




STRINGING WIRE, AND STRETCHING IT WITH 
A BLOCK AND TACKLE 



it pleases the first season. Then, the next February, 
cut back the best cane to about four "eyes" or buds, 

and cut off any 
other canes en- 
tirely ; when these 
buds commence to 
grow, rub off all 
but the two strong- 
est shoots, and, as 
they grow, tie 
them to the wire 
of a trelhs or to a 
stake. The third year's pruning will depend some- 
what upon what system of training you decide upon ; 
the subject is too large and intricate for treatment 
here. The Kniffen system is one often used ; it 
consists in training the vine so that it has four 
horizontal side or main branches, two on each side, 
one above another, tied to 
two wires; the first wire may 
be about three feet high, the 
second about five feet. 

There are several other 
methods of training grapes 
— some requiring only one 
wire, some three wires, and 
some merely a stake or post 
for each vine. The main 
thing is to tie up and sup- 
port the vines in any con- 
venient way — on wires, 

. , .11- V -u STAPLING A STRETCHED WIRE 

posts, arbors, trelhses, build- j^ place 




THE GRAPE 



99 



ings, walls, or fences — and then cut out the new 
wood each year down to two buds on each shoot. 
Every grape-grower should send to the Secretary, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 
ask for Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 1 56 and 284, and learn 
all the facts about the various pruning systems and 
methods of culture. These, together with the infor- 
mation and helpful photo-engravings contained in this 
chapter, should give you all the facts necessary to 
successful grape-growing. If you live in the South, 
ask for Farmers' Bulletin No. 118, entitled "Grape 
Culture in the South." 

The secrets of pruning are as follows : Remember 
that the fruit of the grape is produced on spring shoots 
which come from buds on last season's wood-growth. 
To leave too many of these buds means too much 
fruit of inferior quality and small size ; to leave too 
few buds means a scanty crop of high quality and 
large size. A happy medium is to cut back all new 
wood of last season's growth to about two buds ; even 
then there may be too many buds left on a vigorous, 
mature vine, — in which case you can cut out, entirely, 
some of the two-bud spurs. Pruning should be done 
(except perhaps at 
planting time) only 
when the vines are 
thoroughly dormant, or 
they will bleed at the 
cuts. In severe cli- 
mates, February is an 
excellent time to prune ; 
in milder chmates the tying up young vines to posts 




BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



work is often done in November. I prefer February, 
myself, although the winter climate in southeastern 
Pennsylvania is not usually very severe. 

Cultural Hints. — Extra-fine grapes are often 
obtained by cutting off inferior bunches after the fruit 
has set and removing those that crowd others. 
Cultivation, too, helps to make fine fruit. So do 
annual applications of bone meal or phosphate, stable 
manure, and some form of potash. An oversupply of 
stable manure or nitrogen, however, tends to make 
grapes run too much to vines. 

Another aid to high quality is sacking or bagging 
the bunches. The best time to do this is when the 
berries are quite 
small — not larger 
than small shot. 
Ordinary t w o - 
pound paper sacks 
can be used. The 
mouth of each sack 
should be snugly 
wrapped around 

the stem Ol tne this bunch is perfect because it was 

bunch, and se- sacked 

curely held in place by pinning or tying. The tie 
should be tight, but, of course, not too tight. The 
sacks protect the grapes from fungous and insect 
enemies, including wasps, birds, etc., and the 
bunches thus protected are finer and more perfect. 
For grape-rot and mildew, begin early and spray the 
vines with Bordeaux mixture at intervals of about 
two weeks. The addition of arsenate of lead to the 



,'*?#:" 



!-;.:j^. 



THE GRAPE lOI 

earlier sprayings will kill any insects which eat the 
leaves. Aphis or lice should be sprayed with one of 
the lice remedies given in Chapter III ; several kinds 
of sprayers are there illustrated. 

Rose bugs are often a serious pest in vineyards. 
The simplest remedy is to knock the bugs into pans 
of kerosene, daily. Or try this as a spray : Ten 
pounds of arsenate of lead mixed with fifty gallons 
of water. 

Bees are sometimes found on grapes, but their 
presence does not mean that they are responsible for 
the punctured fruit. Wasps or birds are the real 
culprits, and the bees simply feed on the grapes which 
have already been damaged. 

Sometimes some kinds of grapes do not fruit well 
when planted by themselves, — they seem to need 
pollinating by the blossoms of other varieties. Concord 
does well by itself, and is a good pollenizer for other 
kinds. 

Commercial Grape-Growing.— Mr. S. S. Crissey, 
a New York grape-grower, contributes the following 
personal experiences in the famous Chautauqua-Erie 
district. The influence of a near-by body of water 
to modify climate, eliminating late spring frosts, and 
holding back fall frosts till the last week in October, 
has there been too conclusive to admit of question. 
Mr. Crissey' s contribution contains many hints that 
should be of help to every grape-grower everywhere 
— amateur or professional H e says : ' ' For some time 
I have been growing grapes here, and perhaps my 
expense and receipt account for one recent year, from 
a four-and-one-half-acre vineyard, may be of interest: 



I02 



HIGGLE BERRV BOOK 



RECEIPTS 

2,323 8-lb. baskets (per Grape sellers 

Union) at 13 3-10 cents, net ^308 96 

892 8-lb. baskets (private orders) at 

16 8-10 cents, net 149.86 

500 4 lb. baskets (private orders) at 

91-2 cents 47- 50 

2,850 lbs. waste at ^15 per ton .... 21.38 



EXPENDITURES 
Pruning, tymg, spraying and cultivat- 
ing 4 1-2 acres at ^12 per acre . . . ^54.00 

3,215 8-lb. baskets at 2 cents 64.30 

500 4-lb. baskets at i 4 10 cents .... 7.00 

Wages: Picking, packing and cartage 71.30 
Interest on $450 (assessed valuation) 

at 6 per cent 27.00 

Taxes, 3 per cent 1350 



^27.70 



Net Profit 



237.10 

^290 60 



"My varieties are: Three and one-half acres of 
Concord ; one-half acre Worden ; one-half acre Pock- 
lington, Wyoming Red, Brighton, Martha, Niagara 
and Hartford, mixed. A September hail-storm de- 
stroyed about two tons of these grapes. The yield 

given is not at all 
uncommon; sev- 
eral of my neigh- 
bors had larger 
yields. Now I will 
give some practi- 
cal hints about 
culture, etc. 

CULTIVATING A YOUNG VINEYARD ' ' ChaUtaUqUa 




THE GRAPE 



103 



has three well-defined types of soil. Nearest the lake 
a stiff clayey loam; farther back, a gravelly loam; 
and on the foot-hills, up to the limit of cultivation, a 
thin shale overlying the original rock. Grapes on 
the clay and the shale have a tougher skin and a 
better shipping quality. Those on gravel have finer 
clusters and larger berries. Varieties : Nine-tenths 
of Chautauqua grapes are Concord ; and the other 
tenth is largely made up of two of its seedlings — 
Moore's Early and Worden." 

Cultivation: "The first two years," continues 
Mr. Crissey, "the new growth is left on the ground. 
At the beginning of the 
third year a trellis is 
made of strong end- 
posts, and hghter posts 
between these, twenty- 
four feet apart. The 
best trellis has three 
No. 9 wires. Only two 
canes are put up during 
the first bearing year. 
Later, as the vines gain 
strength, four or five 
canes are put up and 
tied in place. The 
cultivation is, first, 
shallow plowing in May. This is followed by har- 
rowing and horse-hoeing, and this by hand-hoeing. 
(A grape horse-hoe is illustrated in Chapter II.) 
Vineyards must be kept clean of all grass and weeds 
up to July 1st. For a cover crop, to be sown about 




SOME HAND-HOEING IS REQUIRED 
CLOSE AROUND EACH VINE 



[04 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



July I St, crimson clover is best. This will be 
turned under May 15th, following. For the first 
two years of the life of a vineyard, stable manure 
is go od. For old bearing ineyards, commercial 
fertilizers with a large per cent, of potash and phos- 
phoric acid are the most used. Pruning is done 
during late winter. Tying is done in April. Active 
growth of the buds begins about May loth. The 
grapes are in blossom June 20th. August ist the 
berries are of full size. Car-load shipments of Con- 
cords begin about September loth, and the season 

for outdoor harvest 
closes the last week in 
October. Horse-power 
sprayers are largely 
used. Shoulder-strap 
sprayers are also fav- 
ored. Bordeaux mix- 
ture, arsenate of lead, 
kerosene emulsion, 
etc., are in common use. Perhaps the most useful 
all-round spray is the combined Bordeaux-arsenical 
mixture. ' ' 

(Note : In the chapter on Marketing, Mr. Crissey 
tells the general methods of selling grapes in the 
Chautauqua-Erie district. — J. B.) 

Varieties. — There are hundreds of kinds of 
grapes, but only a few of them are in general cul- 
tivation. Correspondents in various states have sent 
me the following ideas on this subject. A star 
means ' ' specially suited for market purposes ' ' : 




BROADCASTING COMMERCIAL 
FERTILIZER IN YOUNG VINEYARD 



THE GRAPE I05 

California: Not less than fifty kinds are grown here for 
different purposes None of them are of eastern origin, — 
they all came direct from Europe. White Muscat, Muscatel, 
Malaga, Sultana, etc., are good raisin grapes. Tokay and 
Black Hamburg are excellent for table purposes.— E. J. 

WiCKSON. 

Florida: In northern Florida a few bunch grapes are 
grown, but in a very limited way. In middle and southern 
Florida the Muscadine sorts are the only kinds really adapted 
to the climate; these bear very heavily and are the most de- 
licious of all grapes. The best kinds are Meisch. James and 
Scuppernong. All of the finest flavor.— Reasoner 
Brothers. 

Iowa: * Concord, Worden, Moore's Early.— Geo. W. 
Stephens's preference. 

Kentucky : * Concord, Moore's Early, Niagara — ThoS. 
G. Fulkerson's favorite list. 

Maryland: * Moore's Early, ••■Concord, Niagara, Brigh- 
ton. 

Michigan: * Concord, ••'Niagara, Worden, Brighton, 
Delaware.— W. H. Burke. 

Minnesota: Moore's Early and Concord are most 
popular, but not many grapes are grown here. — E. D. FiSKE. 

Missouri: The old Concord is all that I grow. — A, L. 
Smith. 

Pennsylvania: * Concord, Campbell's Early, Agawam, 
Worden, Niagara, Brighton. — S. C. M. 

Texas: * Niagara, "-'-Concord, Goethe, etc., are grown, 
but grapes are not a popular fruit in this country. They don't 
sell very well. — J. E. FITZGERALD. 

Wisconsin: *' Moore's Early, ••• Delaware, * Niagara. — 
List sent in by J. L, Herbst. 

Long-keeping grapes: The following are good winter 
keepers : Agawam, Brighton, Canada, Croton, Catawba, 
Duchess, lona, Jefferson, Lindley, Merrimac, Rebecca, Salem, 
Vergennes, Wilder. Choice, perfect clusters of grapes may be 
kept some time by placing them in layers, packed in drv, clean 
sand, dry sawdust, cork dust, or something similar. Store in 
a cool, dry, frost-proof place away from all air currents. 



lo6 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Girdling or ringing grape-vines : This consists in removing 
a ring of baric from the bearing bhoot about an inch wide or 
wide enough so that the bark will not heal over the wood that 
has been laid bare. The same result is sometimes accomplished 
by compressing the branch with wire. The explanation of this 
effect on the fruit is given in a bulletin of the New York State 
Station as follows : The food materials taken in by the roots 
pass up through the outer layers of wood to the green parts of 
the plant. Here new material for growth is formed and the 
portion that is not needed by the leaves and other green parts 
passes downward, for the most part through the inner bark, to 
be distributed wherever it is needed. The wood is not disturbed 
in the process of ringing, therefore the upward movement ot 
the solutions is not interfered with ; but since the downward 
passage takes place through the inner bark the flow is arrested 
when it arrives at the point where the bark has been removed. 
Consequently the parts of the plant that are above the point 
where the ring of bark has been removed receive more than a 
normal supply of food, which tends to produce increase in size 
and earlier ripening of the fruit. 

Tests show that the ripening of the fruit is thus hastened 
sometimes as much as ten days or two weeks, and the size in- 
creased without loss of palatability if picked in good season. 
In wet seasons the berries tend to crack open and to be too 
soft for marketing. In some cases the fruit on the ungird.ed 
branches seems to be reduced in quality ; and girdling, if freely 
and continuously practised, apparently saps the general vitality 
of the vine. To avoid injury it is advised to treat only those 
canes which are to be cut away at pruning time and to leave 
one-half of the canes untreated. As a further precaution it is 
suggested that girdling be practised only every alternate year. 



PLATE XIII. 




WHITE GRAPE 



Chapter XII 



OTHER BERRIES, INCLUDING 
SOME NOVELTIES 

Experiments are like ice-cream — interesting, but poor as a 
steady diet. — Harriet. 

With novelties the practical farmer or gardener 
need have but little to do. Most of them are worth- 
less for business purposes. Still, I think it is worth 
while to keep an eye upon them and perhaps experi- 
ment with them a Httle. The following list of 
standard berries and novelties is necessarily brief 
and more or less incomplete ; 1 have not space even 
to mention all of the oddities. 

Blueberry or Huckleberry. — These well- 
known berries belong to the genus VacciJiium, and 
flourish in a wild state in many parts of the country. 
The high-bush variety does best on wild moist land 
and seems usually to object to garden cultivation. 
The low-bush kind is mostly found on poor, dryland. 
By burning over these places early in the spring, the 
bushes are renewed and underbrush kept out. About 
one-third of a patch is burned over each year. 
LIsually this is all the care given. 

Buffalo Berry. —This is Shepherdia argentea 
of the botanists. It is a pretty, ornamental shrub, 
prolific, and highly prized for its fruit in the drier 
portions of the Northwest. The fruit is small, acid, 
scarlet in color, with small seeds. 

(107) 



[o8 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



Cranberry. — A native of swampy or boggy 
marsh land. The berries are borne on low, trailing 
vines late in the fall. There are large commercial 
plantations at Cape Cod, and in certain localities 
in New Jersey, Wisconsin, etc. If any of my readers 
are interested in this subject they should write to the 
Secretary, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wash- 
ington, D. C, and ask for copies of Farmers' Bulletins 




SETTING PLANTS IN MANURED FURROWS 

Nos. 176, 178 and 221. These bulletins contain full 
information about culture, varieties, and insect and 
fungous enemies. 

Garden Huckleberry. — A novelty offered by 
some nurserymen. A Michigan woman, writing to 
the Colorado Experiment Station, says of this berry : 
" I have grown the garden huckleberry for the last 
four years. We are very fond of it for sauce and 
pies. It is very nice and nearly like the real huckle- 



OTHER BERRIES AND NOVELTIES I09 

berry when cooked, but it is not good to eat out 
of the hand for it is like eating a green tomato. 
Even when the berry is ripe, if you will notice, the 
large berry is shaped like a tomato. The vine looks 
a great deal like the nightshades, but if you will 
compare the two plants you can see quite a difference, 

' ' The nightshade berry hangs down and the 
huckleberry turns up to the sun. The huckleberry is 
larger and different in shape from the nightshade 
berry ; and the huckleberry is not poison as is the 
berry of the nightshade. Last year we had fifteen 
plants and from the fifteen plants I gathered sixty- 
eight quarts of ripe fruit, and much of the fruit was 
not ripe last year owing to early frost. The garden 
huckleberries will do well wherever tomatoes will 
grow ; they are just as easy to grow as tomatoes. 
I received ten cents a quart for one bushel, and 
could have sold fifty. I expect to raise twenty-five or 
thirty bushels this year, if frost does not prevent me. 
We five in the northern part of the state and some 
years we get frost here long before other parts 
of the state. 

Personally, I can not recommend the garden 
huckleberry, for I have not grown it and do not 
expect to do so as long as there are better berries 
that can be grown. 

GouMi, — Widely advertised under the name 
ElcBagnus longipes (pronounced lon-gi-pees). The 
word Elasagnus is the botanic genus, and the word 
longipes means long footed or long stemmed, refer- 
ring to the fruit, Goumi is the Japanese name for it. 

I am inclined to look with some favor on this 



no 



RIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



fruit, but can not advise anyone to plant it, except in 
an experimental way or for ornamental purposes. 

Prof. Bailey, of Cornell, says ; " It is a graceful 
and handsome bush five or six feet high, bearing 
a profusion of silvcr-u^hite leaves and most abundant 
crops of cinnabar-red and gold-flecked berries. 
Whether considered for ornament or for fruit, it is 




A FRUIT-LOVER S BACK YARD 



one of the best of the many excellent shrubs which 
have come to us from Japan." It is perfectly 
hardy. 

JUNEBERRY. — The Juneberries are descendants of 
our native shadbush, Anialanchier. They are cata- 
logued by some nurserymen, but belong in the group 
of novelties, and have not demonstrated their right to 
a place among our standard small fruits. 

Loganberry. —This berry has, I think, come to 
stay. It appears to be worthy of the attention of 



OTHER BERRIES AND NOVELTIES 



III 



market men in some localities, although the testimony 
on this point is yet meagre. 

This fruit was originated in California by Judge 
J. H. Logan. Its first bearing was in May, 1883. 
Its ancestors were Aughinbaugh, a pistillate dew- 
berry, fertilized by "an old variety of red raspberry 
. . . resembling the Red Antwerp." 

The Loganberry is commonly described as being 
a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. Its 
habit of growth is somewhat like the dewberry, and 
its method of multiplication resembles the blackcap 
raspberry, as the 
canes root at the 
tips. In severe 
climates it re- 
quires winter pro- 
tection. 

The fruit is of 
a highly desirable 
size and character, 
partaking of the 
nature of both 
parents. It has 
been called a red blackberry, but has a distinct 
raspberry flavor. 

Mayberry. — Novelty. Said to be a promising 
candidate for public favor ; a member of the rasp- 
berry group. 

Mulberry. — Offered in the catalogues, but 
nowhere very largely grown for market purposes. 
The Downing mulberry has real merit, but is not 
quite hardy in very severe cHmates. 




ONE WAY OF MAKING FURRO\ 
PLANTING 



I I 2 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Strawberry-Raspberry. — The Rhode Island 
Station, after a trial, calls this ' ' a veritable weed, 
entirely destitute of desirable qualities for market 
purposes. ' ' Still, it is a handsome ornament, if noth- 
ing more. W. Paddock, Colorado, makes some plain 
statements about it : " It is not new ; it is not valu- 
able for its fruit ; and instead of being a cross between 
the strawberry and the raspberry, it is a distinct 
species. This species has been grown in America, 
in a limited way, for a great many years, and was 
reintroduced from Japan, where it is native, about 
twenty years ago. It was quite widely disseminated 
a few years later, but it has never developed any 
commercial importance. The plants are attractive 
in an ornamental way, as they make a dense mass of 
foliage, and flowers are produced through a long 
period. The berries are large, red in color, and 
quite apt to crumble, and they are dry, seedy and 
insipid. The plants are unusually unproductive, 
their fruit-bearing habit resembling the wild thimble- 
berry of the foothills, and as a commercial sort they 
have been no more profitable. 

Wineberry. — The Japanese wineberry has been 
widely distributed over the country, and has some 
friends, but does not appear to find public favor for 
market purposes. 



PLATE XIV. 




VICTORIA 



Chapter XIII 



PICKIPTG AND PACKING 



Don't let carelessness now balk a whole year s care. — Tim. 

We come now to an important branch of our sub- 
ject, for gathering and preparing the harvest is half 
the battle. 

I formerly used tickets or cards, containing num- 
bers, and a punch, to keep accounts with pickers, 
but the past season I tried the system recommended 
by John M. Stahl and liked it so well that I would 
not think of returning to the old way. It works like 
a charm, the pickers are satisfied, and it is no trouble. 

A bulletin board is erected just outside of the 
door of the receiving and packing room. For each 
day a paper is prepared, to be tacked on the bulletin 
board. Heavy book-paper of the required size can 
be obtained at almost any job printing establishment. 
Or you can use ordinary wrapping- 
paper. This paper you can rule 
with horizontal lines half an inch 
apart. Along the left margin have 
a vertically-ruled space for the 
numbers ; next have a space for 
the names of the pickers; and then 
a dozen or more spaces in which 
to put down the number of quarts 
brought in by each picker. (The 
accompanying illustration, Fig. i, 

(113) 



A 


^^M 


1!1| 


\ 


'it!^ rr 


|G 2e 


/7 


1 ; 1 




= 


H — ^ 


1 
1 



114 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

is merely suggestive ; there should be more spaces or 
cormns for^ --quarts brought m." ^^.e r.ght-hand 
space is for figuring totals at the end of the day.) 
Every picker has a number. This is important ; et 
the pickers be referred to by ti nr numbers, not by 

their names. , , ■• r 

When each picker brings in a load, the number of 
quarts is marked in a space opposite the number ot 
the picker. If an indelible pencil is used the pickers 
can not accuse you of altering the record; and if 
you put in the number of quarts m the presence of 
the picker, there will be no oversights or mistakes. 
The entire record is open to any picker at any time 
during the day when he or she comes to dehver 
berries You can see at a glance how each picker is 
working ; or. if you desire to know at any time how 
many quarts have been brought in, you can foot it up 

in a minute. . j „ 

Each evening the record sheet is taken down 
folded, and the date, number of quarts picked, and 
whatever other memoranda may be desired are 
endorsed upon it. It is then hied away. These 
sheets furnish a complete account of the seasons 
picking. They also furnish valuable information lor 

future use. ^ u ..i^v^^r 

1 have found it advantageous to supply each picker 
with a berry tray or "carrier," on -^ich the boxes 
when filled, are borne to the packing shed. My trays 
were made according to the following directions and 
seem well adapted to the service required of them : 
For the ends use inch strips three mches wide, for the 
bottom, four strips of laths; and for each side, one 




PICKING AND PACKING II 5 

Strip. (Some growers add four legs to the tray, so as to 
raise it off the ground when in use.) A handle is made 
from half of a barrel-hoop, spanning the tray length- 
wise, and tacked to the end pieces on the outside. 
This tray is designed to be made large enough to hold 
six one-quart boxes. Placing the 
handle lengthwise, instead of cross- 
wise as shown in Fig. 2, leaves the 
boxes easier to get at, and prevents 
the tray from tipping. I use these 
trays only to put the boxes in after fig. 2 

the pickers fill them, and not to pick in ; although 
1 know that many growers have the pickers carry 
them along while picking, — but this often jostles 
and injures the fruit, exposing it to the evil effects 
of the hot sun, and weights the picker. Near 
the middle of the day, especially if the sun be hot, 
it is best, after filling a box, to set it among the 
foliage, hidden from the rays of the sun, until a tray- 
load is picked, and then carry all, in the tray, to the 
packing shed. 

J. H. Hale, Connecticut, sums up his strawberry 
picking and packing methods as follows : "If 
wanted for local market, start picking at dayhght, 
and have pickers enough so the fruit can be gathered 
and into the market before eight o' clock. For distant 
market, try to pick in the evening, or in the morning 
after the dew is off and yet before it is too warm. 
If picking must be done all through the heat of the 
day, plan some way to cool the berries. Pickers 
of mature years are best ; and, as a rule, girls are 
better than boys. Have a superintendent for every 




g BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

hold four, six or eight ^^^f . j;f J^^ ,ew. clean 

p.cked into two g-f;;;^,^^trt'e t w od possible, 
boxes or baskets made of the^wh^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ 

uniform quality all the way 
through. After it is picked keep 
it awav from the air as much as 

possible. Fruit, if dry cooled, 
will keep much longer and keep 
fresher if kept m tight crates. 
Ventilation in crates and baskets 
doesmoreharm than good; to 
prove this, pick a basket oi nice 
TBACH YOUR PICKERS NOT ^g^j-ies, put In a shady but airy 
.o -s. --f - - i^,e, and at the end of twenty- 

in the bottom of the basket au^y 

lJs.ms a better 7P—e.s g .n ^ the. 

and they stand shipment be"^;- "^_ P„^, ^ day on 

be picked -g"l-'>' ^'tt^./ptue "do -t cvush or 
picking days. See tl^at the pickers 

Injure the vines, nor break off ™'^'-f ^^_^^^ „„ 
no green or o..rnpe berries- the boxes. ^^ ^ 

^r::;:: retrsThe'tvX^ment of other berries 



PICKING AND PACKING II 7 

on that cluster. Pick one side of a row, and then the 
other side ; this does not apply to strawberries in hills 
or single hedge-rows, but for all wider rows this is 
the only method that insures clean picking. For 
near-by market only berries which are fully colored 
should be picked ; for distant market they may be 
picked a little sooner. 

In picking strawberries, says a western grower, do 
not allow the pickers to touch the berries at all, but 
handle them by the stem and lay them in the boxes 
one by one as they are picked. Pick every ripe berry 
in the patch every day. Be honest. Do not allow 
pickers to put any trashy, rotten or green berries in 
the box. To avoid this it is absolutely necessary to 
have a superintendent in the patch and directly among 
the pickers. 

A Wisconsin grower writes : Pickers paid by the 
day are most profitable ; they pick better, spoil less 
fruit and are more satisfactory. 

A Massachusetts man says : We pay two cents a 
quart for careful picking. 

Pickers should never be allowed to walk over 
the beds or handle berries except by the stem, which 
should be pinched oiT one-half to three-quarters of an 
inch from the berry and the berries carefully placed 
in the boxes. Good superintendence in the field is 
better than sorting and packing in the packing house. 
— H. E. M., Mississippi. 

Be careful to have the berries clean and as 
uniform in size as possible. — A. W. , Ohio. 

In topping the basket the berries should be all 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 




"stems down and points up 

to their attractiveness. 



turned with the stem down and point up. It makes 
the fruit more attractive and commands better 
prices. — E. W. R. 

Build packing shed close to the patch. Have an 
overseer to every twenty to 
forty pickers. Use carriers 
containing six boxes. — 
B. B.. Ilhnois. 

Have your baskets and 
crates neat and clean ; fill 
baskets so they will go 
on the market slightly 
rounded. A few fresh 
leaves laid on the top of 
the boxes sometimes add 
Do not hide all the big 
berries, but be sure they do not all come on top. — 
E. W., New York. 

The pickers sort the berries, putting the small, 
soft or otherwise inferior fruit in one basket, while the 
rest are put in the other baskets. The pickers 
arrange the berries neatly on the top of each basket, 
thus presenting a neat appearance. The culls, or 
seconds, are sold to peddlers to do with as they 
choose. — E. C. Tice. 

Sandy, gritty berries find a poor market. Keep 
the fruit clean by mulching. — E. W. A. 

We pick our berries every day in the berry 
season ; there is no other way to do it. You can not 
pick a strawberry that is two days old and send it to 
a distant market. It must be picked when it is 
exactly at the right stage for picking, and if you take 



PICKING AND PACKING 



119 



care to do that, you can ship them 1,000 miles if you 
want to. — Parker Earle, Illinois. 

Strawberry packages : Different kinds of pack- 
ages are used, — some localities prefer the sixteen- 
quart gift crate, some the twenty-four-quart gift crate, 
and some the thirty-two quart gift crate. These 
crates are made of wood ends, and wood-veneer 
sides, tops and bottoms ; they are usually pur- 
chased in the flat and the buyer nails the different 
parts together during leisure hours. The boxes for 
the crates are 
generally made of 
thin wood-veneer; 
paper boxes are 
on the market, but 
have not as yet 
become very pop- 
ular. Some of the 
boxes are square, 
and some are 
made like small, 
oblong baskets without handles. A crate, filled with 
boxes or baskets, costs but a trifling sum. 

In a few localities the ' ' return crate ' ' is still in 
favor. These are more substantially made, and are 
supposed to be returned free (minus boxes) by the 
express company. This style of crate usually con- 
tains forty-eight or sixty quarts. 

Consult your market man in regard to the best 
kind of package to use in your locality, and follow his 
advice. 

Raspberries and Blackberries. — These are 




A GROUP OF STRAWEEKRY PICKERS; 

SHOWING ONE KIND OF CARKIEK AND 

SHIPPING CRATE 



I20 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

not picked with the stems on ; nor need they as a 
rule be picked ever>' day. Otherwise, many of the 
foregoing strawberry suggestions will apply equally 
well here. 

Blackberries must not be allowed to get too ripe, 
or they will not ' ' hold up " in shipping. And this 
fruit turns to a dingy, reddish color, after picking, if 
not kept out of the sun. 

Instruct your pickers to handle raspberries and 
blackberries as if they were made of fragile glass 
that would be crushed by the slightest pressure. 

Where black raspberries are grown in quantities 
for factories that evaporate or dry the product, pick- 
ing is sometimes done by mechanical harvesters. 
Farmers' Bulletin No. 213 tells all about this method; 
write to the Secretary, U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture, Washington, D. C, and ask for a copy. 
Black raspberries for table use are always hand 
picked ; red raspberries and blackberries, on account 
of their softness, are not adapted to the operation 
of mechanical harvesters. 

Packages : Black raspberries and blackberries 
are usually packed in the same way as straw- 
berries. Red raspberries, however, are almost always 
packed in pitit boxes ; this dehcate fruit is not suited 
to the larger quart boxes. 

Dewberries. — In growing dewberries on a large 
scale one of the serious problems is that of securing 
pickers, says O. B. Whipple, Colorado Agricultural 
Experiment Station. The average picker will pick 
from five to seven crates a day, and this means that 
it will take from eight to ten average pickers to pick 



PICKING AND PACKING 121 

an acre per day. The general practise is to pick 
every third day, and the large patch may be divided 
so as to furnish the pickers employment every day. 

The pickers must at least wear a glove on the 
hand used to lift the vines ; and most of them wear 
a glove with the tips of the fingers removed on the 
picking hand. The pickers should be made to grade 
the fruit, and the best \ ay is to have them put the 
culls in certain boxes and pay them for picking these 
the same as first-class fruit. This plan provides a 
place for fruit the picker gathers and hates to throw 
away because it fills up. Dewberries should be 
picked when a full glossy black. Berries which 
have gone beyond this stage and turned a dull or 
ashy color are too ripe to ship. The cull box is the 
place for overripe, dry, and poorly-colored berries. 
Ripe berries start to mold if packed for shipment. 

Dewberries should not be picked when moist, as 
after a heavy dew or rain. They must be kept out of 
the sun after being picked. Pickers in Colorado are 
paid by the twenty-four-pint crate, thirty cents, if they 
pick part of the season, and thirty five cents if they 
finish the season. If the grower does not protect 
himself in this way, some of the pickers will leave him 
when picking gets poor. 

Packing : Ever since dewberries were first grown 
in Colorado, says Prof. Whipple, several styles of 
packages have been used, but the crate now com- 
monly used comes as near perfection as any. This 
crate holds twenty-four pint veneer boxes, twelve in 
each deck. The general practise is for the pickers to 
sort the berries and then all the packer has to do is 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



to see that the boxes are full and not overfull, and 
possibly throw out a few defective berries overlooked 
by careless pickers. When packed and covered the 
crates should be ricked up end to end, preferably 
under an open shed, and allowed thoroughly to air 
out before shipping. If possible, it is a good plan 
to let them air over night and ship in the morning ; 
unless well aired out the ruit molds in transit. 
Shippers should also insist on the car being well 
ventilated ; icing only seems to aggravate molding. 

In North Carolina, says F. C. Reimer, dew- 
berries are packed and shipped in thirty-two-quart 
crates. 

many other locahties they are packed in 
regulation strawberry pack- 
ages, — sixteen or twenty- 
four-quart crates. 

Currants and Goose- 
berries. — Currants should 
be picked when fully ma- 
tured and colored, but not 
when overripe. Of course 
they are picked with stems 
on, in clusters, just as they 
grow. 

Gooseberries are usually 
picked and marketed while 
in a green, hard condition, 
when of mature size. Pro- 
fessional pickers use leather 
gloves and strip off the 
gooseberries (instead of picking them one by one), 




IF HE D PUT ON GLOVES AND 

STRIP THE GOOSEBERRIES 

OFF, THE BOX WOULD 

FILL FASTER 



PICKING AND PACKING 1 23 

and then run the berries through a fanning machine 
to blow out leaves, etc. 

In some localities currants and gooseberrries are 
packed in quart boxes the same as strawberries ; 
consult your marketman. 

Grapes. — The picker should not be allowed to 
touch the bunches with the hand, but handle Ihem by 
the stem. In packing, the clusters are lifted with 
thumb and finger, and with sharp-pointed grape 
scissors all green, imperfect or bruised berries are 
deftly removed. Thus the bloom on the grapes is 
preserved. None but perfectly sound baskets should 
be used ; green baskets cause mold. Where Con- 
cords have been picked in warm fall weather, all the 
cracked and bruised berries will show some mold, 
but as, in packing, all these are scrupulously removed, 
no harm is done. The Concord is never fit for ship- 
ping long distances, unless it has been first carefully 
picked, then wilted, and then packed. The packers 
soon learn to lay in the clusters so as to fill the 
baskets just level. 

The grape improves little, if any, in flavor after 
picking, and ships best when fully ripe. The fruit 
should be allowed to hang on the vine as long 
as possible. The grape is best picked during the 
heat of the day as the stems are then least brittle and 
fewer berries are split or torn loose from the bunch. 
Picking after a rain and before the bunches have 
dried out is not advisable. The fruit should be 
handled in shallow boxes, or trays, and removed to 
the packing house for further wilting before packing. 
The common practise is to pick during the middle of 



124 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

the day, and pack this fruit out the following fore- 
noon. Whether or not this will be a long enough 
wilt will depend upon the ripeness of the fruit and its 
condition at packing time. 

Concord grapes are preferably packed in eight- 
pound Climax baskets, the baskets to be well filled 
and faced up to hide all stems. Usually Delaware 
and Niagara grapes are packed in smaller-sized 
baskets. California grapes are shipped in square, 
open baskets packed in crates. 



PLATE XV. 





^^^P> 



HOUGHTON 
COLUMBUS 



^ 



CHAUTAUQUA 



sl^F*. 



iV'- JS '\-> 




DOWNING 
PEARL 



Chapter XIV 



MARKETING 



Establish a reputation for honest, uniform, high-grade pro- 
ducts, and then live up to your brand. — Farmer Vincent. 

There are various ways of selling berries after 
they are grown, and the best way for one grower may 
not be the best way for another. Generally speaking, 
it is a good idea to cater to the home market all you 
can, shipping the surplus, if any, to near-by towns. 
One can peddle, dehver to regular customers, or 
place the berries in the local groceries on commission. 
If the berries are nicely arranged in clean quart 
boxes, not putting the finest and largest ones on top 
and the small ones in the bottom, some grocer will 
be glad to get them, and his customers will willingly 
pay a few cents more for them than for inferior 
berries or those shipped from a distance. 

If you live within reach of a cannery, it is some- 
times advisable to sell your product for preserving 
purposes. Canneries are usually glad to make yearly 
contracts with reliable growers in the vicinity. Or it 
is possible to buy a home canning outfit and do 
your own preserving. 

"With me advertising pays extra well in selling 
vegetables and small fruits," says a writer in Ameri- 
can Cultivator. ' ' I had a lot of large advertising 
cards, 12 x 15 inches, made at the printing office. 
When my first crop is ready for sale, which is rhu- 

(125) 



126 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

barb, I put a printed ' Rhubarb ' card on a sign-board 
fastened to a post in the door-yard, where everybody 
can see it when passing. When the rhubarb season 
is over, I put up another card, 'Berries for Sale.' 
Next I put up ' Phims for Sale, ' later ' Apples for 
Sale,' and so on. With this good way of advertising 
I sell large lots of fruit, vegetables, etc. It saves a 
large amount of labor in peddling the crop." 

Shipping to Commission Men. —" Get in touch 
with fruit dealers or commission men in good 
markets and get them to handle the fruit," says H. 
H. Hume. "Either ship to them on consignment 
or sell to them outright. Pick good, reliable men; send 
them good material, treat them squarely, and yoL 
will receive like treatment in return." 

Yes, but everything depends upon picking "good, 
reliable men," for, as many fruit growers have 
found to their sorrow, all commission men are not 
reliable. Recently a little booklet has come to my 
desk, entitled, "Membership List, National League 
of Commission Merchants of the L^nited States." 
The headquarters of this organization are at 202 
Franklin Street, New York City, and the booklets are 
sent free to any one who asks for them. In the book- 
let I find this statement: "Our organization lays 
its foundation on the personal integrity and financial 
responsibility of its individual members"; then 
follows a hst of members, and their addresses, in all 
the principal cities. L'ndoubtedly there are rehable 
commission firms that are not listed in the League, 
but unless I knew them I should prefer to take 
my chances on a listed firm. 



MARKETING 12/ 

Well-known shippers and commission men con- 
tribute the following hints, which are well worth 
remembering : 

Don't ship to every strange house that solicits 
your consignment. Get a good sohd house and 
stick to it. 

Top-notch prices are governed very much by 
appearance. The eye of the 
buyer must be attracted. 

In berry shipments, it 
is better pohcy to place the 
best berries in the bottom 
of the baskets than on top. 
The old trick of putting 
inferior berries below, and 
topping the baskets with 
Top-NUTCH PRICES DEPEND cholcc fruit, has caused buy- 

LARGELY UPON APPEARANCE gj-g ^-q beCOme SUSplciOUS. 

The prices for shipments from a distance depend 
largely upon the manner of packing, as well as the 
style of package used. 

If fruits are carefully assorted according to quality, 
size and appearance, the returns will more than 
offset the labor and time employed. This sorting, 
however, should never be done in the sun, but rather 
under a tree or shed, or in some cool, shady place. 

It will pay the shipper of prime goods to label 
each package with his name and address, as well as 
the name of the farm. This not only creates a 
reputation, but greatly helps the commission man to 
make sales. There are two styles of labels used in 
marking fruit packages, — the ordinary stencil or 




128 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Stamp, and the one printed on paper to be pasted on 
the package. The former usually states the name of 
the variety, where and by whom grown. The latter, 
in addition to this, may be made up in colors and 
have a picture of the kind of produce for which it is 
to be used. Either style is good, but with conditions 
as they exist to-day, the neater and more attractive 
the label, the quicker it catches the eye of the public, 
and as a result the more ready the sale, particularly 
when the produce is in first-class condition. The one 
thing to be avoided in labeling any fruit or vegetable 
package is the placing of a label for first-class or 
fancy -grade produce on a package containing second- 
class or inferior grades. Practises of this kind \\all 
invariably result in a loss of both money and 
reputation. 

It is best never to make a shipment (unless there 
is a previous understanding) without notifying the 
commission man. This gives him a good chance 
properly to dispose of the goods in quick time. 

Co-operative Selling.— Now we come to what 
is, I think, one of the best of all marketing methods. 
Central packing houses, fruit-growers' exchanges, 
co-operative marketing associations, and similar 
organizations, are in successful operation in many 
parts of the country,— and the idea is spreading. 
These concerns are usually incorporated, and the 
surrounding fruit growers own stock and of course 
control the management. 

A Maryland exchange : One of the best organ- 
ized and managed of the co-operative selling as- 
sociations that it has been my pleasure to look into, 



MARKETING 1 29 

says Prof. W. N. Hiitt, is the Peninsula Produce 
Exchange of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It 
has twenty-five local shipping points, at each of which 
is an agent who inspects and brands the grade of 
produce, and reports to the head office at Olney the 
amounts and grades of fruit and truck received. The 
general manager in the head office is in touch by 
wire with prices in all the large markets, and as soon 
as the daily reports of receipts and grades are wired 
in from his local agents, he is in a position to make 
his sales and place his consignments where the de- 
mand is greatest. The exchange spends more than 
$10,000 annually in telegrams regarding crops, mar- 
kets and prices. The capital stock of the exchange 
was reported in 1905 at $31,000. This was owned by 
the 2,500 farmers who sell through the exchange. In 
1905 a dividend of seven per cent, was declared, and 
in 1906 a ten per cent, dividend. In addition to this 
a surplus was laid by for emergencies. The exchange 
forwixrds annually thousands of cars of both sweet and 
Irish potatoes in addition to other truck and fruit. It 
is reported as doing an annual business of about 
$2,000,000. 

A co-operative selling association or exchange if 
properly organized and managed may be of immense 
value to the growers of fruit crops. It gives the 
small producer the privilege of shipping in car lots, 
which to-day is the only economic base for commer- 
cial fruit growing. It insures the advantages of a 
uniform grade of products. Buyers and large 
commission firms are willing to deal with a company, 
where they can not take the time and expense to 



I30 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

hunt up the produce of the individual grower. Many 
associations save considerable money to their stock- 
holders by the purchase of baskets and fertihzers at 
wholesale rates. 

Like any other stock company, the success of 
the enterprise depends largely on the loyalty of its 
stockholders and directors. A stockholder should 
not withhold his produce from the association when 
he can occasionally get a few cents better price 
elsewhere. In a season's business he would almost 
invariably do better to deal entirely through the 
organized channels of the company than to sell any 
of his stuff elsewhere. Local jealousies should be 
overcome and not allowed to impede business. 

A good general manager in such a company is 
essential, and he should be paid what he is worth. 
A man who can manage a miUion-dollar business 
successfully, and make it pay a good dividend, can 
command the salary of a bank president and he 
should get it. Farmers' exchanges sometimes break 
up because farmer directors try to retain a $5,000 
manager on a $1,000 salary. 

Co-operative grape seUing : During the past 
twelve years, writes S. S. Crissey, grape shipments 
from the Chautauqua-Erie district have ranged from 

a minimum in round 
numbers of 4,000 to a 
maximum of 8,000 
cars. Every car of 
these grapes has been 
grown in nine towns 

WHEN HAULING FRUIT, HAVE K^,-rlf^r-i ncr nn T akc 

SPRINGS ON THE WAGON bordcHng o n i. a k e 




} 



MARKETING I3I 

Erie. Seven of these towns are in Chautauqua county, 
N. Y., and two are in Erie county, Pa. One of the 
most difficult problems in the history of the industry 
has been the safe, economical sale of the thousands 
of car-loads annually grown. For table use our 
grapes go in the eight-pound Chmax basket. They 
go in car lots of 3,000 baskets each. The Grape 
Union does the selling for half a cent per basket. 
It has an inspector at the loading stations, and 
places its own salesmen in such leading markets 
as Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, etc. The 
Union advances five cents per basket and the 
balance at the close of the season. During the past 
five years there has been a rapid increase in the 
production of unfermented wines. The largest of 
these grape-juice establishments is at Westfield, N. Y. 
How they co-operate in Colorado : One of the 
strong points in favor of the association idea, as worked 
out in Colorado, says W. Paddock, is the possibility 
of a fairly uniform pack. This results in better prices, 
since buyers have the assurance that all associations 
strive to make their goods as nearly uniform as 
possible. Then, contrary to the idea often advanced 
that poor fruit brings as great a price as good, the 
most rigid grading must be practised, and the inten- 
tion is to place each fruit in its proper grade ; thus 
only the best grade sells for the highest price, and, 
indeed, the grower of inferior fruit is fortunate to 
dispose of his crop at all. There are two methods of 
packing and grading fruit. In one instance, the as- 
sociation does all the packing, the growers delivering 
the fruit to the packing house just as it is picked. 



132 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Here the packers, under the direction of a superinten- 
dent, sort the fruit into the various grades, and at the 
same time pack it. Should there be any culls, they 
are returned to the grower and are at his disposal. 

Each grower is given a number, which is used to 
designate his fruit throughout the season. As each 
crate or box is packed, it is marked with his number 
and the grade. When the packages are loaded into 
the cars, the number of packages, the varieties and 
the various grades which belong to any grower, are 
kept account of and duly recorded. In this way the 
price for each package of fruit in any car is easily 
determined. 

But where there is a very large amount of fruit to 
be handled it is impossible for the association to do 
the packing, consequently the growers assume this 
work. With this arrangement, the association employs 
an inspector, whose duty it is to inspect each load as 
it is delivered. This he does by opening some of the 
packages. If the pack is satisfactory, not more than 
two may be opened. If unsatisfactory, several may be 
examined, and if all run under the inspector's stan- 
dard, the entire load must either be placed in a lower 
grade or else be repacked. It will be seen that a 
great deal depends on the inspector, and that it is a 
difficult position to fill. Upon him depends the 
reputation of the association, so he must be entirely 
free to do the work as he sees fit. Each man's fruit 
is kept track of by numbers, as in the former case. 

Most of the Colorado associations have now 
adopted the latter system, although nearly all have 
tried the former. The ideal method is, no doubt, to 




MARKETING 1 33 

have all packing done at a central building, but a 

limit to the amount of fruit which can be handled is 

soon reached. It is found difficult in practise to keep 

track of a large number 

of packers at a central 

point, and careless work 

is the result. But when 

each grower looks after 

his own packing, he has 

a wholesome respect for 

the decision of the in- this berry grower combines 

T • BUSINESS AND PLEASURE 

spector. It IS very- 
expensive to repack a lot of fruit, and if he is obliged 
to do this or else let it be sold as a lower grade, 
it usually results in greater pains being taken in the 
future. But with the best of systems, poorly packed 
fruit will occasionally lind its way to market. 

The association charges a commission on all 
sales, usually five per cent, to defray expenses. Then, 
in case the packing is done by the association, an 
additional charge is made to cover the cost of the 
package and packing. Any fruit grower may be- 
come a member of the association so long as there 
is stock for sale, and the owner of one share is 
entitled to all its privileges. The number of shares 
one individual may own is limited. 

Here are the articles of incorporation and the by- 
laws of a Colorado fruit-growers' association, taken 
from Colorado Experiment Station Bulletin No. 122, 
and perhaps some of you can make these (with any 
necessary changes) the basis for a selling organization 
in your own locality ; 



134 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION 



The name of the said Association shall be the Grand 
Junction Fruit Growers' Association. 

II. 
The objects for which the said Association is created are 
to buy and sell fruit, vegetables, hogs, meat stock and all the 
products of Mesa county, both fresh and manufactured; to 
erect, operate and mamtain cannmg and packing factories and 
commission houses; to manufacture any and all products of 
Mesa county; to lease, mortgage and sell said business, and 
to borrow money for carrying on the same, and to oledge their 
property and franchise for such purpose. To acquire by 
purchase, or otherwise, and own real estate, buildings, machin- 
ery and all the necessary power and power plants for carrying 
on said premises, and to lease, mortgage and sell the same. 

III. 
The term of existence of said Association shall be twenty 
years. 

IV. 
The capital stock of the said Association shall be twenty- 
five thousand dollars ($25,000), divided into five thousand 
(5,000) shares of five dollars ($5) each. 

V. 

The number of Directors of said Association shall be 
seven, and the names of those who shall manage the affairs 
of the Association for the first year of its existence are 

VI. 

The principal office of said Association shall be kept at 
Grand Junction in the said county, and the principal business 
of said Association shall be carried on in said county of Mesa. 

VII, 
The stock of said Association shall be non-assessable. 



MARKETING 



VIII. 



135 



The Directors shall have power to make such prudential 
By-Laws as they may deem proper for the management of the 
affairs of the Association not mconsistent with the laws of this 
state, for the purpose of carrying on all kinds of business 
within the objects and purposes of the Association. 



BY-LAWS. 

ARTICLE I. 

Section i. The Board of Directors provided for in the 
articles of incorporation of this Association, shall be elected 
annually at the regular annual meeting of the stockholders, as 
hereinafter provided, and shall hold their offices until their 
successors are elected and qualified. 

Section 2. Said Directors shall be stockholders in said 
Association and shall be fruit growers in Grand Valley and 
shall be residents of Mesa county, Colorado. 

Section 3. Any vacancy occurring in the Board of 
Directors shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board. 

ARTICLE II. 

Section i. The Board of Directors shall, as soon as may 
be, after their election, elect a President and Vice-President 
from among their number, who shall hold their offices for one 
year, and at said meeting the said Board shall appoint a Sec- 
retary, Treasurer and Manager, who shall be subject to re- 
moval at any time. 

Section 2. The Secretary, Treasurer and Manager shall 
each when required by the Board, give bond m such sum and 
with such security as the Directors may require, conditioned 
on the faithful performance of their duties, and turn over to 
their successors in office all books, papers, vouchers, money, 
funds and property of whatsoever kind or nature belonging 
to the Association , upon the expiration of their respective terms 
of office, or upon their being removed therefrom, or with such 
other conditions as may be proper. 

Section 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of 



136 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

the Directors or Stockholders. He shall sign as President all 
certificates of stock, and all other contracts and other instru- 
ments in writing, which may have been ordered by the Board 
of Directors. 

Section 4. The Vice-President shall, in the absence of or 
disability of the President, perform his duties. 

Section 5. The Manager shall have full charge of the 
commercial and shipping department of the Association. He 
shall leceive all money arising from the sale of fruit and other 
commodities handled by the Association, and pay the same to 
the parties entitled thereto, and render a true account thereof; 
and he shall also be the Treasurer of this Association and safe- 
ly keep all money belonging to the Association, and disburse 
the same under the direction of the Board of Directors, except 
as hereinabove set forth. 

Section 6. The Secretary shall keep a record of the pro- 
ceedings of the Board of Directors and also of the meetings of 
the Stockholders. He shall also keep a book of blank certifi- 
cates of stock, fill up and countersign all certificates issued, and 
make the corresponding entries upon the marginal stub of each 
certificate issued. He shall keep a stock ledger in due form, 
showing the number of shares issued to and transferred by any 
stockholder, and date of issuance and transfer. He shall have 
charge of the corporate seal, and affix the same to all instru- 
ments requiring a seal. He shall keep in the m inner pre- 
scribed by the Board of Directors, all accounts of the As- 
sociation with its stockholders, in books provided for such 
purpose. He shall discharge such other duties as pertain to 
his office, and as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors. 

Section 7. These By-Laws may be amended by the Board 
of Directors at any special meeting thereof, called for that 
purpose, a notice of such proposed amendment being given 
in the call for such special meeting. 

ARTICLE III. 

Section i. The regular meetings of the Board of Direc- 
tors shall be held at the office of the company, on the first ( ist) 
day of each month, except when the first day comes on Sunday 
or legal holiday, then on the following day. 



MARKETING 137 

Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called 
by the President when he may deem it expedient or necessary, 
or by the Secretary, upon the request of any three meml^ers of 
said Board. 

Section 2 A majority of the Board of Directors shall 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a less 
number may adjourn from day to day upon giving notice to 
absent members of the said Board, of such adjournment. 

Section 3. The Board of Directors shall have power : 

First — To call special meetings of the stockholders when- 
ever they deem it necessary, by publishing a notice of such 
meeting once a week for two weeks next preceding such meet- 
ing in some newspaper published in Grand Junction, Colorado. 

Second — To appoint and remove at pleasure all employees 
and agents of the Association, prescribe their duties, where 
the same have not been prescribed by the By-Laws of the 
Association, fix their compensation, and when tliey deem it 
necessary, require security for the faithful performance of their 
respective duties. 

Third — To make such rules and regulations not inconsist- 
ent with the laws of the state of Colorado, and Articles of 
Incorporation, or the By-Laws of the Association, for the 
guidance of the officers and the management of the affairs of 
the Association. 

Fourth — To incur such indebtedness as they may deem 
necessary for carrying out the objects and purposes of the 
Association, and to authorize the President and Secretary to 
make the note of the Association, with which to raise money to 
pay such indebtedness. 

Section 4. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors : 

First — To be caused to be kept a complete record of all 
their meetings and acts, and also the proceedings of the 
stockholders, present full statements at the regular annual 
meetings of the stockholders, showing in detail the assets and 
liabilities of the Association, and the condition of its affairs in 
general. 

Second — To supervise all acts of the officers and employees, 
and recjuire the Secretary, Treasurer and Manager to keep full 
and accurate books of account of their respective business. 



38 BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



ARTICLE IV. 

Section i. At the regular meeting in the month of 
January of each year, the Directors shall declare such 
dividends upon the capital stock, to all the stockholders then 
appearing of record, as may be warranted by the net earnings 
of the Association for the precedmg year. 

ARTICLE V. 

Section i. The Board of Directors may, whenever they 
shall deem it necessary, place on sale so much of the capital 
stock of the Association as may be necessary to raise funds, 
for the purpose of carrying out the objects and purposes of the 
organization of the Association, such stock to be sold only 
upon the following conditions : 

First — That not more than three hundred (300) shares 
thereof be sold to any one person, firm or association of 
persons. 

Second — That such stock be sold only to fruit growers in 
Grand Valley. 

Third — That such stock be sold at not less than par value 
of Five Dollars (^5) per share. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Section i. The annual meeting of the stockholders for 
the election of Directors, shall be held on the third (3d) 
Saturday in January of each year, but if, for any reason, it 
should not be held on such day, it may then be held on any 
day subsequent thereto, as hereinafter provided. 

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall be elected by 
the Stockholders at the regular annual meeting. Public 
notice of the time and place of holding such annual meeting 
and election, shall be published not less than ten (10) days 
previous thereto, in some newspaper of general circulation 
printed in Grand Junction, and the said election shall be made 
by such of the stockholders as shall attend for that purpose, 
either in person or by proxy, provided a majority of the out- 
standing stock is represented. If a majority of the outstand- 
ing stock shall not be represented, such meeting may be 
adjourned by the stockholders present for a period not exceed- 



MARKETING 1 39 

ing sixty (60) days.' All elections shall be by ballot, and each 
stockholder shall be entitled to as many votes as he or she 
owns shares of stock in said Association ; provided, however, 
that no person who is not himself a stockholder shall be 
allowed to represent by proxy any stockholder in the said 
Association. 

The persons receiving the greatest number of votes shall 
be the Directors for the ensuing year, and until their success- 
ors are elected and qualified. 

ARTICLE VII. 

Section i. Certificates of stock maybe transferred at any 
time by the holders thereof, or by attorney in fact or legal 
representative. Such transfer shall be made by endorsement 
on the certificate of stock and surrender of the same ; provided, 
such transfer shall not be valid until the same shall have been 
noted in the proper form on the books of the Association. 

The surrendered certificates shall be cancelled before a 
new certificate in lieu thereof shall be issued, and no transfer 
of any share of stock shall be valid or allowed upon the 
books of the Association upon which any deferred payments 
are due and unpaid, nor which has not been sold and trans- 
ferred in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws of 
the Association. 

Section 2. Any stockholder desiring to dispose of his 
stock in said Association, shall deposit the same with the 
Secretary of the Association, and the same shall be sold by 
the said Secretary at not less than par for account of such 
stockholder, within sixty (60) days from date of such deposit, 
under the restriction of Section i, Articles, of these Bv-Laws; 
provided, that if the Secretary shall not have sold such stock 
at the expiration of sixty (60) days, then such stock may be 
returned to such stockholder, and be disposed of by him, with- 
out restriction or limitation by the Association. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

Section I. All members of this Association are required 
to market all their fruit through the Association and bear their 
proportionate share of the expenses of handling the same. 



I40 HIGGLE BERRY BOOK 

Section 2. Any member may have the privilege of sell- 
ing his ovi'n fruit at the orchard, but no sales of fruit shall be 
made to a dealer in fruit, or to any person who buys to ship 
outside the county. In case of the sale of the entire crop of 
any particular fruit or fruits, by reporting the same to the 
Association, one-half ( }^ ) only of the regular commission 
will be charged. 

Section 3. Any member having any grievance or cause 
of complaint as to treatment of his fruit by the Association, 
cnn appeal to the Board of Directors, whose decision shall be 
final. 

Section 4. All members must pack their fruit for ship- 
ping in a neat and workman-like manner, and pack the same in 
standard-size packages, ns adopted and in general use by the 
Association, having placed thereon their name or number. 

ARTICLE IX. 

Section i. A purchaser of stock in this, the Grand 
Junction Fruit Growers' Association, shall hereafter receive 
of the profits of the Association, in proportion to the money 
he has invested. 



INDEX 



Advertising 125 

Altitude 10 

Anthracnose 77 

Arsenate of lead 30 

Articles of Incorporation, 

134-140 
Artificial drainage 11 

B 

Beginners, hints for.. .25, 26 

Berries as medicine 9 

Berry novelties 107 

Berry packing 119-123 

Berry picking 119-123 

Berry seasons 71 

Berry tray 114 

Blackberries, care of 81 

Blackberry 81 

Blackberry bushes, wiring 83 

Blackcaps 72, 73 

Black sawflv larvae 77 

Blight ...: 61 

Blossoms 53 

Blueberry 107 

Bone meal 91 

Bordeaux mixture 28 

Bordeaux w i t h insect 

poison 30 

Bottom lands 11 

Breeding- up varieties. ... 65 

Buffalo Berry 107 

Burning leaves 59 

Burning mulch 59 

Buying berries 8 



Cane borers 79 

Care of blackberries 81 

Chautauqua grape belt... 97 

Checking pickers 113 

City-lot gardens 9 

Cold air "lake" 10 

Commercial grape-growing 101 



PAGE 

Commission, shipping on. 126 
Co-operation in Colorado, 

131, 132, 133 

Co-operative grape selling 130 

Co-operative selling. . 128, 129 

Corn-fodder 58 

Cover crop 74 

Cover crops for grapes. . . 103 

Cranberry 108 

Crop rotation 78 

Cultivating grapes 103 

Cultivation, 

19, 52, 74, 82, 87, 93 

Currant fly 94 

Currants 91 

Cutting runners 53 

Cuttings 92 



Deep rooting 21 

Depth to set raspberries.. 74 

Dewberry 87 

Dewberry canes, training. 88 

Dewberries for market. ... 88 

Dewberry, value of 87 

Diseases 61, 77, 82, 90 

Distant markets 115 

Ditches 53 

Double hedge-row 48 

Drainage 10 

Drainage, artificial 11 

E 

Early strawberries 69 

Economv 8 

Ever-bearing strawberries. 70 

Expense per acre 37 

Exposure 10 

Extra-earlv strawberries. . 69 



Fall-bearing strawberries . . 69 

Fertilitv 13, 14 

Fertilizers 18, 77 



(141) 



142 



BIGGLE BERRY BOOK 



PAGE 

Food value 7 

" Freak " plants 70 

Frost injury 63 

Frost protection 100-101 

Fruit 53 

Fungicides 28 

Q 

Gall-beetles 77 

Garden huckleberry 108 

Gardens, city-lot 9 

Girdling grape-vines .... 106 

Gooseberries 91 

Goumi 109 

Grape belt 97 

Grape-culture hints 100 

Grape - growing, commer- 
cial 101 

Grapes 97 

Grapes, pruning 97 

Grapes, sacking 100 

Grapes, spraying 100 

Grass sod 13 

H 

Hardening young wood... 83 

Hardy varieties 83 

Harrowing 16 

Hedge-rows 48 

" Heeling in " plants. ... 39 

Hill system 48, 50 

Hints for beginners. .. 25, 26 

Hoes 53 

Hold crops 84 

Hook, potato 40 

Horse-cultivators 21 

Hothouse berries 57 

Hydraulic rams 23 

Implements 21 

Implements and tools. ... 17 
Incorporation, articles of, 

134-140 

Increasing size 75 

Increasing yield 75 

Insecticides 30 

Insects 61, 77, 90 

Irrigation 23 



PAGE 

J 

Juneberry 110 

K 

Kerosene emulsion 31 

Knitl'en system 98 

L 

Late berries 58 

Late cultivation 74 

Late setting 55 

Late strawberries 69 

Laying out 15 

Leaf-spot 61 

List of strawberries, 

67, 68, 69 

Local market 115 

Location 9, 37 

Locations favoring beaming 71 

Loganberry 110 

Long-keeping grapes 105 

M 

Manure 13, 14, 77 

Marketing 125 

Marketing facilities 13 

Marketing hints 127 

Market, local and distant. 115 

Marking the ground 16 

Mayberry Ill 

Medicine, berries as 9 

Medium strawberries .... 69 

Method of planting 42 

Mildew 61 

Moisture 20 

Moles 62 

Mulberry Ill 

Mulch '. 22, 58. 59, 74 

Mulching 22 

Mulching at fruiting time 75 

Mulching raspberries .... 75 

Mulching strawberries ... 58 

N 

Narrow matted-row system 49 

New varieties 65 

New varieties of straw- 
berries 70 

Nitrate of soda 50 

Novelties in berries 107 



-i*! 



ocr J 191 « 



LIBRARY 




